Now, I'm going to talk in-depth about the final cut of this movie that was released in 2007, not the original movie, even though that particular theatrical cut was good, the editing was clunky and the narration did not do it for me.
This movie has a great story inside and outside of the behind-the-scenes of this particular cult classic. Director Ridley Scott had one sci-fi classic under his belt, Alien, so obviously studios would want to go after him to work on many projects. Warner Bros. and the Ladd Company decided that Ridley Scott was going helm this movie. However, there were so many production issues behind-the-scenes that many people inside the studio and the producers did not know that the movie was actually going to be finished. There were so many heated arguments between the director and the producers in terms of the budget and deadlines, even there were a few scenes that had to be used in one take.
The movie did not get much critical acclaim when the movie was released due to "unconventional pacing and plot" but many praised its themes, Vangelis' score and the visual effects. Watching the theatrical cut last year, I felt the poetry was gone with the pauses and intellectualism being interfered with Deckard narrating what he was thinking that I already thought. That movie made me felt stupid and made me felt insulted a bit. But, again, this was not a masterpiece in the beginning until the movie was analyzed and when Ridley Scott refined the movie and made it much better. If I were to recommend any cut of Blade Runner, I'd recommend the Final Cut to process how the movie is edited, what the characters are thinking, looking at each set design, visual effect and symbolism and also raise questions whether or not Deckard is a Replicant (I'll get to that later.).
In the year 2019, in a rainy and bleak Los Angeles, ex-police officer Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is being brought back by officer Gaff (Edward James Olmos) and former supervisor, Bryant (M. Emmet Walsh) to kill four Replicants, Nexus-6 models who have a four-year lifespan and may have come to Earth illegally to extend their lives, who are on the loose. The reason why Bryant brought Deckard was because he was the best "blade runner" on the force to "retire", not execute, Replicants. He wants Deckard to retire the four following Replicants: Leon, Zhora, Pris and Roy Batty (Brian James, Joanna Cassidy, Daryl Hannah and Rutger Hauer).
Deckard travels to the Tyrell Corporation to investigate to see that the "Voight-Kampff" test works on replicants, a test that distinguishes Replicants from humans based on emotional reactions to various psychological questions. Tyrell (Joe Turkel) has Deckard test it on his assistant, Rachael (Sean Young), who is an experiment Replicant who believes to be human.
As Deckard searches for clues and answers on the whereabouts of these Replicants, Roy and Leon set out to find Tyrell and also tries to find J.F. Sebastian (William Sanderson), a genetic designer. Meanwhile, Pris, who lounges onto the streets, coincidentally, bumps into Sebastians and manipulates him to stay in his place and to gain his trust. But, Rachael wants to still convince Deckard that she is human except he observes and tells her that she has false memories and has Tyrell's niece's memories and when Rachael saves Deckard's life later in the movie, they begin a tough but romantic relationship.
THERE ARE SPOILERS IN MY ANALYSIS.
The opening shot of the movie clarifies that we are going to be going on an odd journey in this bleak future that is murky and lifeless. And, then, as we are about to enter into the building of the Tyrell Corporation, we see an eye that is reflecting on the bright lights of Los Angeles. Scott focuses on the eyes for about 2/3rds of the movie as the eye represents that familiar picture that you see on $1 bill that is on top of the pyramid: the Eye of Providence. Roy and Leon go to the eye genetic designer, Chow, to find who created them. Roy says a sentence that reflects on creation in which he says that
"he'd wish that Chow could see what he'd seen with his own eyes".
It is actually a clue and an allusion to Deckard in a way because when you see a Replicant or an artificial animal like an owl, since they were the first to die in the polluted environment, their eyes have a red tint in their retinas. It indicates that they are indeed Replicants which I'll go to now with the $1 million question: Is Deckard a Replicant?
Well, there is no definitive answer until maybe its sequel, Blade Runner 2049, will probably gives some more clues to an answer but according to the interviews and production, they refuse to directly answer the question but there are clues in his apartment for sure.
-The photographs in his apartment are not recent and are not colored, they are black and white. Replicants have no photographs on themselves and are deemed to know their non-existent or false past.
-Rachael asks Deckard a question about whether or not he used the "Voight-Kampff" test on himself. He does not answer the question.
-In the Director's Cut or Final Cut, Deckard, while sleeping near the piano, dreams of a unicorn (a moment in which people ask why is that shot in the movie). Later, in the end of the movie, Gaff leaves an origami unicorn by his doorstep, indicating that he know's about Deckard's dream as Deckard knows about Rachael's dreams and memories.
-But there is a one-to-two second shot of Deckard looking at Rachael in his apartment where we see a red tint in Deckard's eyes so you will have to find it. But, again, there is no clear answer but we have to explore it in the sequel, directed by Denis Villeneuve.
The clear themes in this movie are humanity and identity. Now, I already mostly covered the latter in which how Rachael and Deckard are be identified on whether or not they are Replicants but again they are seemingly human. Rachael seems and feels human not knowing that she is a Replicant but Deckard states that she is a Replicant since she has false memories of Tyrell's niece's memories, which makes her hurt and sad and leaves all of a sudden, making Deckard feel bad. But, when the romance kicks in and now is ordered by his supervisor to retire Rachael, why is Deckard hunting and loving Rachael? What seemingly makes a human fond of a Replicant? These are questions to explore but you have to understand if a Replicant hunts or loves a Replicant, would there be a conflict of interest? Would there be some danger to the human world?
But, the most surprising character tied into humanity is the villain, Roy Batty. He can seem like a one-note because of his strength and intelligence. However, when Deckard is on the verge of death hanging onto dear life on the roof, Batty saves Deckard and then comes a fantastic monologue here seen in this clip:
Roy's last act of saving Deckard can be labeled as a human act, representing a Christ-like figure of giving Deckard salvation. But, why? It maybe because his life cannot be solely for human beings but for created beings, too. Once artificial, they can provide human feelings even if they are not. The artificial beings have purpose but still, life is being taken away from them and Roy wanted Deckard to witness his death. What was so beautiful about that poetic scene is the way how they handle Roy's death is while he is holding a dove in his hands which represents his soul as the dove ascends to the sky as his last deed was a good deed by saving Deckard.
I will say this that Blade Runner has a simplistic story in a science fiction world with a cop coming back out of retirement to hunt down four Replicants. That's pretty much it. But, it's the world underneath that simplistic plot that is worth exploring if you have the patience in its pacing. Why is the world like this? Why is this toxic? It is parallel to the bleak tone of the story because not all of the characters are happy. They feel trapped in this environment with the rain pouring into their society. It also makes the replicants drive into paranoia because of the unwarranted anger and power in their system, but also that they may know that Deckard is looking for them.
But, also, it is not solely a simplistic sci-fi story, it is a sci-fi crime noir and it makes sense that it ties into the bleak but colorful cinematography and dark, cold tone of the plot and the characters. This is a new, different approach to the sci-fi genre after the popularity of Star Wars, E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. You have unsympathetic characters, sexualized female characters (mostly the Replicants) and a dark mystery. But, the only sign of hope is its ending in a way and we can debate about that when Roy gives his monologue and Deckard and Rachael leaving his apartment, maybe happily ever after. I don't know. (Well, I do know, but the ending to that theatrical cut felt out of place.)
Ridley Scott, the screenwriters, Philip K. Dick, the actors and the production staff took a chance and even though it did not pay off in its theatrical run, it paid off in being relevant to today's society with the special effects and the social commentary. This is a great movie with a straight forward main plot but great little mysteries surrounding the characters, the themes and in the dark, muggy city of Los Angeles itself where all answers can be interpreted and discussed. Building a conversation about this movie over many years is a good thing to discuss whether this movie is style over substance or a masterpiece.
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