More relevant now than it was in 1982

Rating: 10/10 (3 July 2006)

Recently, the Aspies For Freedom website published a list of the ten characters in feature films whose mannerisms and stories most closely match those of real Aspies. Some of the choices were not so surprising (Edward Scissorhands, Fred Tate). Others were somewhat odd (RoboCop, Khan Noonien Singh). But the characters who shared the top place are all from this film. Not so coincidentally, they are all Replicants. In the midst of a propaganda war with normalist organisations such as Cure Autism Now that want you to believe being on the autistic spectrum automatically makes one of no worth to society, Blade Runner elegantly sums up what life is really like for those of us on the higher end of said spectrum. You know, those of us who build tomorrow's computers or paint tomorrow's masterpieces, just to name a few things. The thing that catapults Blade Runner into such brilliance that it should be preserved as an example of Western culture at its very greatest is that this relevance is completely accidental.
The story is as simple as it is shocking. Although 2019 is fast approaching, and the floating car or human machine is still a fantasy, what is important to understand is that in a world of equal poverty and despair, mankind has created the new underclass. Terrified by the fact that these artificial humans are their equals in intelligence and their superiors in physical strength, humanity creates a new police force with the sole purpose of hunting this new underclass. Treated as if they are mere property, or pets that have gone bad, members of this new slave underclass come to Earth seeking the ability to extend their lives. As the plot summary on the Region 4 DVD says, their only crime is wanting to be human. Although the film only gives vague hints of this, these poor creatures are pretty much birthed and then thrown into a life of slavery without so much as a pause. If mankind can rise to the level of his betters, then he will do his damnedest to drag his betters down to his level.
To be fair, Blade Runner does take its time to develop its story, and a lengthy attention span is required to get the most out of it. In contrast to many films made around the same time or in the subsequent years, it is designed to reward the intellect of its audience rather than their conformity. With a third and ostensibly final cut of the film on its way, there is already some minor debate over which of the two previous editions is the better one. For my money, the director's cut wins every time. The voiceovers of the theatrical release are obnoxious and insulting to the intelligence of the viewer. The happy ending robs the film of its final-note impact. And without Deckard's dreams of unicorns or his developing romance with Rachael, much of the meaning of the story is lost. Like tears in the rain. This is a supreme irony, as the so-called director's cut of Blade Runner is one of the few "special editions" that is shorter than the original release. Which goes to prove the old adage that the executives who sit in board rooms and make decisions all day just do not know how to properly put together films.
Acting performances just do not get any better than this, either. Rutger Hauer is absolutely chilling, and yet charming, as Roy Batty, the self-appointed leader of the latest bunch of rebel Replicants to make it Earthside. After monumental performances in such Dutch-language classics as Turks Fruit or Soldaat Van Oranje, Hauer rises to his apex here, and proves that in any film, a protagonist is only as good as his antagonist. Harrison Ford plays it cool and understated for the most part, making sure the audience understands his character is totally unaware that his world is about to be rocked to its foundations. The surprise factor of the final moment is as much due to his performance as a clever script. Sean Young briefly demonstrates she could have been a serious actor as the most unusual kind of love interest, and the support cast is far from shabby here, either. Joe Turkel is especially creepy as Eldon Tyrell, the ringmaster of what seems to have turned into one painfully oppressive circus. The character truly thinks nothing of creating an entire life with only one purpose in mind, and Turkel sells the fact like ice cream in a heatwave.
The dystopian vision of what is now a very near future also resonates in the present. As we spin through a grimy Los Angeles, we no longer have any idea who owns what, and corporate imagery is pervasive enough to feel like an eye in every corner. Product placement can be annoying in films where it is done blatantly or without any real purpose, but in Blade Runner, the placement of corporate logos gives the scenery both a reality and an artistry rarely seen elsewhere. I do not know how much TDK paid to have their logo displayed during Batty's rooftop battle with Deckard, but the imagery alone was worth every penny, and then some. In Blade Runner, TDK really does amazing things on one's system. But all this pales in comparison to the vision itself. Watching this film in Pan & Scan is akin to blinding yourself in one eye. It is like watching a waterfall through a keyhole when you could just push the door open and see a wide, rolling vista. Nobody has ever used the 2.35:1 frame as well as Sergio Leone, but Ridley Scott gave it a very good try when he shot Blade Runner.
It is for these reasons, and many more, that I gave Blade Runner a ten out of ten. Whether it is the director's cut or the new "final cut", this is modern science fiction as it should be.