Week 1: Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)

Before Viewing

When I was I kid, my favorite actor was Harrison Ford. Why? Han Solo. Indiana Jones. Bob Alfa. I even saw ‘Hanover Street’ just because he was in it. Harrison Ford was the best. But because I was only 9 when Blade Runner came out, naturally I didn’t see it.

I was aware of the film, being a young science-fiction fan. However, I just never got around to seeing it as I got older for whatever reasons. As I enjoy reading about films, I became interested in the history of the film, especially concerning its reception, its poor performace at the box office, the changes that Ridley Scott was forced to make, and the fact that over time it had become a cult classic. I picked up the Final Cut DVD when it came out earlier this year, figuring that now would be the time to finally see the film.

My Thoughts After Viewing

If anything, this film really shows you the beauty and the skill that went into creating futuristic cities for film. I love technology, I love computers, but more often than not today, when you see a futuristic city, the first thing that pops in your head is ‘Wow, that CGI looks great!”. You know it looks good, but mentally, you also know it isn’t real. Contrast that with the opening shots of Blade Runner . Los Angeles of the future LOOKS like a real futuristic city. Of course it’s a model, but there’s a third dimension to the look that you just don’t get from CGI (kind of like the spacecraft and moon bases in 2001: A Space Odyssey). I loved the amount of advertising that proliferated the cityscape (kudos for using real companies- I even saw an Atari sign behind Deckard at one point). The full-wall motion billboards remind me a lot of some of the new digital billboards we’re seeing around Phoenix right now. They don’t have full-motion video, but I bet that will just be a matter of time. On a smaller scale, the mixture of futuristic architecture and old, decrepit building really worked in this film. I can definitely see how it influenced future films and video games (Anachronox, anyone?)

As far as the acting goes, Rutger Hauer was top-notch. He’s just one of those guys who can play ruthless and evil and make it seem natural, meaning if you ran into him in a dark alley, you’d probably just want to run away. Interesting enough, my favorite scene of his was when he told Pris, the other replicant, that Zhora and Leon were dead. To go from a creepy malevolent demeanor to near tears just like that really just jumped out at me. He did a great job of being seemingly insane without going over the top. Darryl Hannah was really creepy as well. I enjoyed seeing William Sanderson (but every time I see that guy in a movie, I always looks for his brother Daryl, and his other brother Daryl). Edward James Olmos has made a career of playing the type of character that he did in this film (He kind of reminded me of his role as El Pachuco in Zoot Suit). Like Hauer, he just seems to have this natural ability to play a character that you would be uncomfortable to meet in real life. It was also nice to see what Sean Young was like before she went crazy. I loved her retro 40s look. It really helped the film acknowledge its noir roots.

Of course, Harrison Ford was top notch as well. He makes it look so easy some times, like the camera crew is filming a real person as part of a documentary. Part of why I think people like Han Solo and Indiana Jones is because Ford plays those men like an everyman- meaning it’s easy to envision yourself doing the same things. Han Solo says the things in situations that we wish we could say. Indiana Jones isn’t above getting his hands and knees dirty to get a job done. Here, his Rick Deckard really seems like a man reluctant to do is job. It’s clear he spent time hunting down and ‘retiring’ replicants, but that’s not the life for him. However, in this time of need, he has to go back to those days (the Michael Corleone ‘Everytime I get out, they pull me back in’ Syndrome). He too played the character will without going over the top. I liked his demeanor durning the final fight with Roy Batty. He genuinely seemed terrified for his life. He didn’t spout out movie cliches or idiotic veiled threats. In fact, if you notice, he doesn’t say a word during the whole confrontation. Yet other memorable performance by Harrison Ford.

As far as the story line goes, I enjoyed it, but there were points where I felt there was too much coincidence. In a city as big as LA, Deckard’s going to run right into another replicant after killing one that he was chasing across town? The very minute he kills Pris, Batty shows up. Minor things, to be sure, but I would have enjoyed seeing more of Deckard doing detective work, and more pursuit of the replicants. It seemed just a bit TOO easy for him to exterminate all four (well, 3 really). I did like how Batty in the end made it so that you actually felt empathy for the replicants. After all, what are they rebelling against but their forced servitude? The ‘tears in the rain’ speech (which apparently Hauer improvised) and the way he just shut down really made you understand just WHY they wanted the freedom to live.

In the end, the fact that Deckard decides to run away with the replicant Rachel and finds one of Gaff’s origami works on his floor shows he’ll probably never have peace in his lifetime. I know there has been some talk about the fact that Deckard himself might be a replicant, but I didn’t see it that way (and no, a slight orange gleam in an out of focus shot of Deckand standing behind Rachel really isn’t enough to convince me otherwise). He doesn’t need to be a replicant. He’s made a decision to harbor a replicant because he loves her, and that’s that. No need to complicate it any further.

The Final Say

Definitely a great film. I certainly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it, and I know I will probably rewatch it myself. I’m actually kind of curious now to see part, if not all, of the original theatre release just to see why they were compelled to use a voice over. That’s an interesting lesson on film in itself.