Have no doubt, this is a landmark in film history.

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 1999)

An almost completely rewritten script, a perfectionist director, a lead that had rotten relations with cast and crew, producers baying at the door and the author of the original short story didn't like what was being done at all. Isn't it strange that a lot of masterpieces are made in times of such strife (see Apocalypse Now, Easy Rider, The Shining and The Exorcist.)
Yes, I said masterpiece. At first I didn't think it was either. A good film, maybe even a great one, but a masterpiece? Never. The Directors Cut did nothing to change my opinion when it was first released. Now it's easily my favourite science fiction film and quite possibly the finest film that deals with the meaning of identity ever made. Especially the D.C.
The script may have been written and rewritten but lets face it, it was worth the wait. There are so many marvelous lines and wonderful scenes it boggles the mind. Hampton Fanchers original draft was okay but it was never as good as David Peoples re-write. The script also hints at deeper meanings behind the obvious. When Batty says "Show me what you're made of" what exactly does he mean? Is it a straight challenge or a reference to Deckards origins?
That's a matter I could never resolve. Is Deckard a replicant? When I watched it the first time there was never a moment I doubted his humanity but after reading other peoples views I find it harder to stick to that. Maybe I'll never know. Maybe Ridley Scott didn't want us to. Scott's touch is undoubtedly the guiding light behind the film. The themes and techniques he used in Alien are exploited here to the full. Syd Mead may have designed that horrible city of the future but Scotts lens never quite manages to damn it. He gives the cold streets a dangerous, foreboding look but finds time for great warmth as well in Deckards apartment. He's helped by Vangelis' marvelous score which fills every scene with such emotion and power it's impossible not to be moved.
Harrison Ford may hate the film, Sean Young may have hated working on it but there's no doubt that they and Rutger Hauer give career best performances. It's such a shame that Young and Hauer went into a career nosedive after this that neither have recovered from. The rest of the cast do their jobs admirably as well but Ford comes up trumps. Forget Witness, the Star Wars' or anything else he's done. This is as good as he's been.
Perhaps the best way to judge a films affect on the industry is to see how many times it's been imitated. How many times has BladeRunners view of the future been ripped off? Too many. How many have looked as good? With the exception of The Matrix (maybe), none of them. BladeRunners most famous aspect is it's cynical view of what the metropolis will look like once we're finished wih it. But it's not its best. It's the way it constantly questions what being human is and what humans are meant to be and humans are meant to do that I love so much. In this film man plays God by creating a being in its own image. Man wants to control the being. The being does not want to be controlled. It retaliates. Is this a moral or a warning? Like the rest of the film Scott doesn't answer, just lets us draw our own conclusions.
Enough. I've gone on far too long. But I could go on forever. Maybe one day I'll right an essay on the film. Or maybe I'll just watch it instead. Yeah, I'll probably just watch it. After all, it is a masterpiece. And the Directors Cut is the best.