Blade Runner
Dir: Ridley Scott
Star: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Daryl Hannah
Ridley Scott's visual style sometimes has a tendency to overpower the other elements of a film, but in Blade Runner it all comes together perfectly. David Peoples' script, plus the performances of Ford, as Deckard the weary and unwilling replicant hunter, and especially Rutger Hauer's Batty, a Christ-like figure who only wants to live, mesh together to form
one of the most influential SF films of all time. It's hard to credit that, at the time of release, it received a distinctly luke-warm response, especially as its power can only truly be appreciated on a big screen. Having been a long-time fan of it, seeing it for the first time at the cinema was a revelation, and this was before the resurrection of the director's cut.
From the opening shot of the city skyline, through to Batty's death speech (which, like the movie itself, is one of the most beautiful in cinematic history), it works on multiple levels, and as a result has probably had more analysis written around it than any other genre piece. Many of these revolve around the 'Is Deckard a replicant?', and indeed the film is full of fragmentary evidence which hints at this, and other conclusions. It's rare that a film is both emotionally and intellectually satisfying, but Blade Runner hits the mark perfectly.
A+
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