Bladerunner - 1982

The Ladd Company, Warner Bros.

Directed by Ridley Scott

Cast:

• Rick Deckard – Harrison Ford
• Roy Batty – Rutger Hauer
• Rachel – Sean Young
• Gaff – Edward James Olmos
• Bryant – M. Emmet Walsh
• Pris – Daryl Hannah
• J. F. Sebastion – William Sanderson
• Leon Kowalski – Brion James
• Dr. Eldon Tyrell – Joe Turkel
• Zhora – Joanna Cassidy
• Hannibal Crew – James Hong
• Holden – Morgan Paull

Story: Its 2019, and the science of cloning and genetics has advanced beyond our wildest dreams. Not only do we have replicated animals of all species, but we now have human clones called Replicants, originally intended as soldiers and servants. After a mutiny where these highly intelligent clones kill their masters, Replicants were banned from Earth and given a failsafe to prevent them from becoming a major problem: a four year life span. Bladerunners are special police officers trained to detect replicants and eliminate them. This is not called execution, but retirement. Deckard is a reluctant Bladerunner whose former boss forces him to take one more assignment: hunt down and retire four replicants who have landed on Earth to find a way to extend their lives. In the process, Deckard must encounter the scientist who created the replicants, and discovers his assistant is also a replicant. The assistant and Deckard fall in love, which complicates the problem for Deckard, who is not in love with his job.

Review: A science fiction classic and another product from the mind of Philip K. Dick, this movie stands out as one of the finest films in it's genre. The scenes and photography are flawless, with Los Angeles as many of us would imagine, shrouded in darkness with atmosphere so blackened from pollution the sun cannot penetrate. The streets are crowded and dirty, some wear masks to breathe, and neon and artificial lights are the norm. The film progresses from the beginning with a veil of melancholy, a knowledge the planet is dying and nothing can be done. Society is an amalgamation of countries and dialects, and even the language is a conglomeration of the many spoken by the occupants. In the background is always the drone of the advertising blimps that encourage the inhabitants to begin a new life on the Off World colonies. M. Emmet Walsh and Edward James Olmos set the stage with their characters, cops who care little about the people and just want the higher ups off their ass. Ford is superb as the reluctant Bladerunner trying to make sense out of his life and reaching for some level of happiness with Rachel, the replicant without an expiration date. Rutger Hauer, Brion James, Daryl Hannah, and Joanna Cassidy portray the replicants with uncanny accuracy, and you detect in their persona a sense of caution in all their actions. With a score by musical genius Vangelis, and the eerie, almost Alien insight of Ridley Scott, this film will be studied and enjoyed for years to come. I recommend the Director's cut. The original film was released with a “narration” by Harrison Ford which was added by the studio because they didn't think the audience would understand the film. It was removed in the first director's cut, and was never really needed [in my opinion]. There is some graphic violence and some brief nudity, so this is not a film for the little ones, but most teens will enjoy this dark sci-fi classic.