irony that this movie is fully pushing diversity and the image of a multi racial future (which is accurately depicted as shit). The "All life is valuable" shit, that the PC crowd would fully approve of, you know except anyone they call a nazis. Pedophiles deserve death, corrupt politicians deserve death, life itself is not precious. Well programmed robots are still fking robots- they are not alive. Everyone is not equally valuable. The multiracial West looks worse than after being bombed in world war 2.
I've seen such great movies you politically correct people wouldn't believe......attacked social justice warriors on Twitter off the shores of California. I watched feminists glitter in the darkness at Islam's gate. All those moments will be lost in time like snowflakes in the rain.....
The first few times a saw this movie the scene where Roy gives his monologue was without overdub of Dukerd's voice thinking about what just happened. It was totally silent but the pitter-patter of raindrops. Subsequent releases overdubbed Drukerd's thoughts of what just happened. I'm sure some wonk thought it would be better explained so the audience would understand better but all it did was drain the scene of any vitality & authenticity... Good review!
Theory: Roy saved Deckard because he realized that this is the end, he is going to die and he can’t do anything about it. Except one thing, he wanted a longer life and he realized that the only way to archive it is to save Deckard, because then he would keep living - in Deckard’s memory. Anyway I’m drunk
"Final act of redemption by saving a man's life is also an act of rebellion against his creators. Proving that he can be more than the killer they tried to make him because he chooses to be something better." Well said Drinker, well said.
Unfortunately by trying to make Deckard a replicant Scott is making this effect much weaker. In original version of that movie there was no hints that Deckard was a replicant. Unicorn origami was symbol of Rachel being special model (and we find out that she is special in original ending which was later removed). There was also no dream with unicorn. It was added years later and is taken from a different Scott's movie called "Legend".
C'mon now, it's gotta be pretty expensive to hire an entire committee of midwits to rewrite a script 100 times until it's as lifeless and inoffensive as humanly possible
"You Nexus, I build your eyes" "If only you could see what I have seen with your eyes" Jeez, you can't not love dialogue like that. It's almost like the writers had a talent for writing or something.
@@jedielder7970 Staring at a cellphone writing 280 characters bullshit all day, whilst thinking gender is fluid and getting educated that socialism is a good thing,,, I don't think it'll get any better.
I like that Blade Runner doesn't hammer you over the head with its ideas. The action is in the foreground, leaving themes to register almost subconsciously, until they pop into your mind on nights when it takes a little longer to fall asleep.
I first watched the film version without Deckard dreaming of a unicorn. This quote by the other detective told me that Deckard is a Replicant himself. Many years later I watched the director's cut that includes the unicorn dream. After some contemplation over the film versions I think that the first hint at Deckard being a Replicant is at the begin of the film when Deckard tells his police boss, "I did not work for you when I entered this room, and now I don't even know you anymore", and his boss replies with, "You know: it's over for you when you leave this office." This implies that Deckard will get exectued ("retired") if he refuses the job offer by his boss, which implies that Deckard is only allowed to live as long as he kills Replicants for his boss, which implies that Deckard is a Replicant. I love when movies are subtly hinting and implying things.
Then Deckard proceeds to go to the apartment and kisses her with that in mind. Thens finds the unicorn, Cue Vangelis epic soundtrack... what a fucking masterpiece
@@Viewable11 I didn't see it that way. He says, "you're either cop or little people", or something like that, a threat that he'd better toe the line, or else. In the dystopian future displayed, seems reasonable, he doesn't need to be a replicant, just a human being, good at his job, and open to the reality of power.
I preferred the original version with the film noir first person narration.... really sold the film... The Director's Cut I liked solely because of the remastering of the visual and audio quality.... plus a unicorn!
Rutger hauer came up with the speech the night before they shot the scene originally it wasn't in the script. He told Ridley Scott that he had some words. But did not tell him what they were. This is what real collaboration on a set looks like Scott let him shoot it the way he wanted. And later said I wish I had of written those lines.
This is what makes the difference between casting a great actor and the right actor. Perhaps someone else could play Roy, and he’d do an equally great job, if not better (there can always be someone who’s better), but Rutger was the right pick. Not only did he act the hell out of the role, but also created one of the most iconic monologues of film history. No one else would have done it, and were all the better for it.
Taking nothing away from Hauer's contribution, but: I believe he had a source for his words. You see, Vangelis was in a late-60s Progressive Rock band called Aphrodite's Child, with lead singer Demis Roussos (whose voice is briefly heard in Blade Runner). Two of their hit ballads were "I Want to Live" and -- get this -- "Tears In Rain". As a European, Rutger Hauer was of the correct age to have heard Aphrodite's Child on the radio -- their first two albums sold 20 million copies combined, worldwide.
I always saw it as a final “fuck you” to his creator, since he was programmed to kill and destroy, and his last act is to save a life when his programming is to take it.
One of my favourite scenes is where he takes a drink and a drop of blood can be seen dissipating in the glass. Though Drinker may not like the metaphor.
as a cynical 55 year old, every time I hear Roy's soliloquy I'm brought back to my young self in the cinema and the beauty of his words makes me well up still. As kids we knew we'd seen a masterpiece. I still like the voiceover version best.
As another 55 year old, this was a movie I loved from the beginning, it always boggles my mind that it was considered a failure. Also, I didn't mind the monologue version I grew up with.
I saw it in an almost empty cinema, in my hometown of Swansea, Wales, when I was 18: I had never seen a film that looked like that before and I was already a keen movie buff. I knew that it was a classic, one of the best films I had ever seen and I had already seen a lot of classic films! I think Bladerunner is as pretty close to perfection, any movie can get.
The film is all about identity and identity politics. The difference is it is well written and compelling and everything and everyone is morally grey. The Replicants may be fighting against their slavery and being denied their humanity but they're still violent murderers and criminals. Deckard is trying to stop them but he's also like a slave bounty hunter. It's why he hates his job. And he may or may not be a Replicant himself. And many other things the movie touches upon. It's just a great film.
@@Davidsworldtravels Pssh if it was Rey, she would kill all the replicants easily, jumps across another building several times and somehow force an unearned emotional scene and cry cause she's such a complex character.
The drinker describing Rick “he lives alone, drinks too much, and doesn’t have any friends” Me immediately drawing the conclusion that the drinker likes blade because he’s the main character 😂
You forgot the modern disclaimer Disney is eventually going to slap on it: “WARNING: this film contains outdated transhuman stereotypes, and may contain scenes depicting violence, characters of unchecked white privilege as protagonists, white and asian males in STEM fields, police brutality, alt-right ideologies, cis-gendered characters, masculinity, the consumption of hard liquor, black and white photographs, outdated technology, inaccurate predictions of the old future, lack of smart phones and social media, Christian symbolism, complex sexual situations that do not outwardly express consent, heteronormative sexual situations, attractive women that aesthetically entice or glorify the male gaze, actors portraying characters over the age of 30, boomers, and unicorns without rainbow tails. Viewer discretion is advised.”
@@SDW90808 To hell with that kind of mindset. People have and will complain about movies. In the 20th century it was cool to hate on movies because they were boring. Now it's cool to hate on them because "muh diversity".
I’d laugh, but it’s actually on the near horizon...I had an argument with someone over these warnings on Aliens for sky cinema. She argued because Vasquez wasn’t played by a Latino that it was ‘black face’ to put tan on a white actor..she failed to realise that Latinos from european ancestry are a huge demographic and often prejudiced against
I love how you touched on Roy's humanity at the end. He becomes "More human than human" I always want to believe that dove that flies toward the sky (that he was holding when he jumped to the other building) was his soul ascending to the afterlife.
When I watched the original cut, it seemed to me that the unicorn origami was to show Deckard that his partner had already been there and had let them escape (let her live). Also that Rachel was a creature that didn't live but had life.. i.e. like a myth, like a unicorn.
@@JimboB-rh5td Yeah, I just haven't bought into the Deckard replicant thing. How could he not know he's a replicant if all the others do? That would mean he is a more advanced model than them, and yet was created before them? Doesn't add up.
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-Beams glitter in the dark near the Tenhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears...In rain. Time...To...Die " Poetic and beautiful. And Rutger Hauer apparently came up with it a few hour earlier, and suggested it to Ridley Scott. Who, thankfully said yes.
One of the best moments in my cinematic life. And as if it couldn't be any better, it's sprinkled with Vangelis' score. It's a perfect moment in sci-fi history.
I only found out when I heard Rutger Hauer had died. I find it amazing he basically ad-lib'd that monologue, which is some of the greatest lines in all movie history.
I heard they started slapping that dumb shit on older movies. Remember when they would just slap an 18 on the film, acknowledging that it might have grown up stuff in it and if you get offended, well then you should stick to watching postman pat or spot the dog or what're kids shows we had in the 80s.
@@dimwitsixtytwelve Yeah those labels are for children, it used to be assumed that adults can handle whatever a film threw at them... now we have adults running around acting like offended children, trying to ban things that challenge them or that they think will influence others for the worse. It's fucking sad really.
Those warnings are an ear mark of a good movie sometimes. Modern movies fail to be about making moral choices and about heroes and fail to have a narrative thread connecting the cool looking scenes.
@@Zzyzzyx And he didn't write the entire thing; there was already an entire speech at that point, Hauer just shortened and modified it to be more direct and poignant instead of preachy and grandstanding. He even got the bartender's opinion on it, as he was hanging out there the night before shooting, working on it. This isn't to take away his contribution, but it wasn't just "He's so genius he pulled this out of his ass on the spot!"
I was a young man of 20 in 1982. I was blown away then and I have watched it countless times since. Every time I see it, I am still in awe. Blade Runner just may be the best movie ever made.
@@megashark1013 actually it's not , in Canada no one has gone to prison directly but you could be fined and failure to pay the fine could result in prison, as in contempt of court.So it's disingenuous you could go to prison to pay for an unjust fine, and the principle of a bad law is to scare people, so it's having the desired effect.
@@jameslawford4057 The thing is, the instrument is not everything. See the new Blade Runner movie, they got the right synth but Zimmer wasn't able to deliver the same atmospheric feel that Vangelis created.
*there are subtle and not so subtle elements found within ANY Vangelis composition that exist nowhere else and are impossible to replicate by anyone else...have noticed this over the decades...some of my absolute favorites are from some of the more obscure releases such as Direct and The City*
The entire genre of cyberpunk synthwave, retrowave, nuwave, etc....basically owes its existence to this and also movies like a The Terminator. I highly recommend the music video "Tech Noir" by Gunship!
F-ing hell, man-I've seen this film so many times, yet, with your commentary, I'm still almost breaking down in tears when Roy sits down at the end to offer his last words. As always, well done, sir.
I never saw it that way until Drinker pointed it out. The dude is literally built to be a killing machine, so when he saves someone it really means something
"I just make the eyes" "Oh if you could see the things ive seen with your eyes" I loved that line in the movie. The delivery, the meaning, how it wouldnt make sense in any other movie but makes perfect sense in this movie. It was menacing, and a key scene in the progress of the plot. It shows how psychotic and merciless they are. No one is safe.
One of the best movies, ever. Great story, good actors and amazing music by Vangelis (still have the CD). And one final speech, the I can quote in my sleep. "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die."
Finally a comment that credits Vangelis for the film score. I can’t believe Drinker didn’t mention him by name and give him proper credit for the music 🤓
I miss them too. Sooooo much. It's gotten to the point where we celebrate the mediocre as good and the good as exceptional merely because we're so starved for genuinely good storytelling.
If a movie feels complete as it is, then a sequel isn't required or necessary. (There's a lot that I don't know in regards to this movie. Perhaps, a sequel was planned out, but never developed for whatever the reason.)
I'm with you. I rather enjoyed the sequel, though I've admittedly not seen the original in some time. Lots of hate here for it... not sure why. Can the haters explain?
He does, but I saw it at it's cinema release back in the day! I shared the theatre with just 5 other people! It was a failure back then, I thought it was epic! I've probably watched it 40 times...
@@CPitt2000 I wouldn't say it's boring(it also depends on the version you're watching ; the one where they cut Ford's monologues and thoughts is rather pretentious and boring, I'll give you that), I'd say it's difficult to enjoy. You have to be in the mood for it, you can't watch it like Rambo or what have you.
@@CPitt2000 If you're expecting a Fast and Furious Terminator it may be boring, if you're watching willing to understand the film you may find one of the best movies ever done. Also you need a little of criterion and that's also hard to find in people nowadays...
Yes mate. An all time fav. I finished my best friends eulogy with Tyrell’s “twice as bright” quote. Rutger Looney (as we called him as kids and into adult life) was a hero to us
It had great special effects for the time. If only blade runner 2049 had left out the Harrison Ford parts it would've been a great story with great special effects as well.
Plot? Whatever this, "plot" is, please tell current Hollywood. They think "plot" is having a gay character with absolutely no other character traits beyond "gay".
The overwhelming majority of us are not struggling. We understand basic biology. Hollywood, media studios, and celebrities are struggling. Because they think they understand things better.
ME HOY ME NOY E.T. was terrible. Hated it as a kid, hated it as an adult. 48 Hrs., Gandhi, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Tron, First Blood, Poltergeist, The Secret of NIMH, Airplane II, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Year of Living Dangerously, etc. were all much better films from 1982
I was a teenager through the 1980s. It was a GREAT time to be one. The music was killer. The movies were excellent - even the schlocky B-movies. And entertainment was for EVERYONE.
Yes, it did. I just watched Critical Drinker recommending Predator; that year 1987: the year of Predator, Robocop, Evil Dead 2, The Lost Boys, Full Metal Jacket, Running Man, Lethal Weapon, Princess Bride, Hellraiser… What a decade.
Drinker, you just helped me out my dude. Not by recommending a film that should absolutely be recommended. But your editing and commentary helped me understand the film even more. Specifically, your editing/commentary at 12:15 is what got a whole new lightbulb - or neon sign - to go off in my head. Let me explain: So I just got to see Blade Runner on the big screen, because one of my local theaters is fucking awesome like that. It was incredible, as expected. Blade Runner is my favorite film of all time. I know it's not the absolute best, objectively. But since I saw it in high school I was hooked. I've seen it many, many times. I've poured over special features, I've watched the different cuts. Any content that's Blade Runner related, I usually check it out. But I've always had trouble parsing out Deckard's and Rachel's love scene. It was always the one scene in the film I couldn't quite understand. Because it's so stilted, awkward, and even a little violent. I always thought it was like...Deckard's so inexperienced he doesn't know how to show his feelings, and so defaults to anger. Or maybe it was that Sean Young was so inexperienced, particularly with love scenes? I know Ford and Young didn't quite have the chemistry that was expected behind-the-scenes. Maybe it's a more pathetic side of this run-down, world-weary hired killer? And then the side of me that understands modern SJWs is like "Christ that looks almost rapey right"? I know it's not, but I know some people will interpret the scene that way despite the fact that Rachel clearly consents and seems more than happy to be with Deckard in the end. I suppose you could argue Deckard coerces her? Again I don't agree with that interpretation, but I'm giving the devil his due. POINT IS, at 12:15, your little edit made it click for me: "The cold blooded contract killer who only shows mercy when he falls in love..." and then you show Deckard and Rachel's love scene. That's it. That's why the scene plays out the way it does. Deckard is a killer. He can dress it up like he's a cop. Like he's doing a good service. But he knows, deep down, he's just killing people. That's his life. That's why he drinks, that's why he resists in the beginning of the film. Now Rachel comes along, and he finally finds a chance to do something other than killing. He meets a replicant who's beautiful, vulnerable, and doesn't pose a threat to anyone. A replicant who's a woman in all the ways that matter. He falls in love with her, but he has no idea how to show it, and can't stand the idea of hurting her or letting her out of his sight. To add another layer, when Rachel tries to depart in that scene, he knows she's in danger with anyone but him. So it's desperation for a sense of intimacy he's never had, it's a sense of masculine protectiveness, and perhaps inexperience all combining to make an awkward love scene that flowers into something better. This is the power of real critique man. It helps show you sides of an artwork you never considered. The bad shit wilts and crumbles, and the good shit just gets even better. Thank you Drinker. Cheers. P.S. I will say that I'm not so sure Deckard's cold-blooded. I think that's the reason he puts up such a fight when Bryan "arrests" him and tries to get him back on the job. I think he's "retired" many replicants, and can't take it anymore. But he's also probably hurting financially, and being a "cop" at least offers him some status above the rabble of the wider city. "You know the score! Out there, if you're not a cop, you're little people!" I think killing Zhora is particularly impactful to him because Rachel has finally brought what he's always known deep down up to the surface: all he's doing is killing escaped slaves. Escaped people, who just want to live. I think he's just tough enough to "retire" replicants, but not tough enough to KEEP doing it. If that makes sense.
Same i've also had trouble understanding the scene in the beginning I remembered a scene where Rachel tells Deckard about one of her "fake" memories with her brother, she said that she remembers that when they were kids one time he showed her his willy and when it was her turn she ran away. I imagine this conditioned her personality and fear of intimacy...
There's nothing wrong with the thought that blade runner is the greatest of all time. Some people have said Vertigo is the greatest. Now if you study that movie, it's plot actually doesn't really make sense. But that is to miss the point. That you are "not sure" about Deckard is part of the allure of the movie. We're not sure about any of the characters, who are really bad, but not really.. who are good, but not really... the swirling ambiguity
I saw this film in the theater as a kid, we had to sneak in during a matinee and it remains as one of my favorite films of all time. The Thing (John Carpenter) came out that same weekend so we saw em both back to back, it's still the greatest 'Double Feature' I've ever seen.
@octavio medeiros She thought she wasn't even a human being. Deckard was there to tell her that - in every way that mattered - she was. It was no hardship for him, though...
A very beautiful movie indeed. It's my favorite. That ending death scene is just mind blowing! Has anyone ever noticed that Roy was a 'Christ' character at the end. The nail in his hand..the dove descending after he died? He sacrificed his life to save Deckard? Funny how no one has ever noticed that part of the movie. I've always referred to this movie as a love story...not a sci-fi movie.
One of the things I love about the drinker is that even when he's talking about a movie that he absolutely adores, he's not afraid to point out the flaws and holes in logic. It really makes his reviews seem more genuine and less biased.
Roy Batty, Replicant, dies in the far off year of 2019. Rutger Hauer, actor, died last year in 2019. I guess he had said all there is on the subject and wasn't about to upstage himself. 😔
Reality has a strange obsession with poetic irony and gear-like synchronicities. O/T Rutger Hauer and the rest or the cast are ridiculously great in this painfully poignant sci-fi classic.
Premature senility. Don't know how I didn't catch that. A man that could write the soliloquy and perform it so nobly.... Makes movies like "Nighthawks" easy to forgive (it's running on Netflix now).
Spot on, Drinker. This one is a masterpiece, Ridley Scott's absolute pinnacle. We have it in the bluray director's cut, and it's wonderful....and Rutger Hauer's own story about making it, in his book "All Those Moments" is striking, God rest him. He said it was the best job he ever had...and he was so very right. "Blade Runner" has it all...incredible production design, a superb score by Vangelis, exceptional writing and cinematography....and the story is heartbreaking and beautiful. It's time now for Scott to retire...he's really lost his edge. But you have to say that someone who could create "Blade Runner" had genius, and used it well. This film just gets better with time, for me, anyway. It never becomes "dated". A masterpiece, it is,for all time. Good for you! Going away now, our Drinker. All the best to you, dear and brilliant curmudgeon. You always get it...right.
The thing people miss about this story is that the reason replicants are so dangerous is they have free thought and emotion but only simulated empathy. This is why the VK test works because the questions are designed to make you squirm but replicants have to fake it. The fear is they will get an idea in their head and pursue it regardless of who gets hurt on the way, which is exactly what happens. The perfect example is them manipulating Sebastian into helping them only to kill him later (implied).
I love that Roy's whole famous monologue at the end was just adlib. It's crazy! He just pulls the one of the best speeches in cinema history completely out of his ass!
It wasn't completely adlib, he had a script for that scene but it was a nonsensical garbled description of something SciFi that made no sense. He cut through the bullshit, threw out 80% of it and turned it into poetry.
There are plenty of directors still making fantastic films (e.g., Nolan, Tarantino, the Safdies, Villeneuve (director of the sequel), so on), even if they're less common than they once were.
John Desper oh I know. Hell I still for the most part think you’ll find top notch films these days. Just gotta look for the lesser advertised films. But even then it’s just not the same. No your truly standout films are a dime a dozen and most films are formulaic trash. Back in the day most films were great and only a few were outright formulaic trash. Or who knows maybe it’s only the greats of the past that are being remembered and the climate of cinema at the time is the same as it is now? But I doubt it.
When Rachel has the light hit her eyes and they seem to glow is a memory that has haunted me for decades. Whoever thought of that was brilliant And seemed to bring life to the saying The eyes are the gateway to the soul. It's like they wanted it known they had souls.
Notice that each time Roy tries to tell a human of his personal Hell, his life is threatened by whom he is confessing his humanity to. Finally, he pours his heart-out as he dies. Heart breaking and amazing.
Or the 2022 remake where deckard is a gay woman, and the replicants are people of colour, just to emphasise the oppressed slave status. Tyrell will still be white of course lol.
I've always been a fan of this film. Many of my friends would argue whether Star Wars or Star Trek was the better Sci fi film and I would always bring up Blade Runner.
Love this observation. I feel the same about Paul Atreides from Dune - as a kid I thought of him as the hero only to realize now he's quite the opposite. It's amazing to remember how black and white life was back then, only to realize now it's nothing but varying shades of gray.
@@eugenetswong Oh man, there's so much nuance involved to answer that question! But the short short answer is Paul Atreides ended up leading the Fremen into a holy war that decimated not only their culture and people, but millions of others when it spread throughout the universe. Frank Herbert said his intention with the Dune series was, in part, to show how "charismatic leaders should come with a warning label." I highly recommend reading the book! Although, the consequences of Paul's actions are explored much more in the other books in the series, but you can definitely see them starting in the first.
@@BelleMort6 interesting. Is it possible that Paul was well intentioned in leading them to war. Perhaps you meant that it was power hunger or selfish ambition.
I just saw Blade Runner Final Cut last night. I've been thinking about it non-stop. It's cerebral in its execution, and sets such a high bar for sci-fi films. This video was incredible, Mr. Drinker. This is one memory I will cherish for all time. Thank you, and cheers!
I've always taken the origami unicorn at the end as Gaff's message that he was there and could have killed him but he intends to let Deckard go. As his partner, Deckard knows of his constant nervous habit of creating the folded animals. PLUS until the final cut or directors cut or whatever the live action shot of a unicorn from Deckard's piano memory was not in the film.
That moment has always amazed me, in that second he feels compassion for the life of the man that's trying to kill him. That backs up Tryrells atatememt of "more human that human" because when the 6s develop emotions they act in a far more human fashion.
I think he also understands that if he saves Deckard he may be "alive" by his actions in someones mind. (In Deckard's mind, the person he just save) The movie is a masterpiece.
@@Black_Swan_Rider showning mercy and on the verge of your own death does not make sense? going to be a bitter man till the end, what a great prospect!
@@FairyTailGrey Indeed, we all live, i as i become more spiritual, i am not totaly a saint, and i dont think i will eveer be, but we live, trougth our acctions, those we touch and the acctions we do, be in the spirits of those we touch and others, we maibe even continue after, that is the lord to decide, but life is a gift, we try to enjoy it and make it relevant as the gift that amaizing miracle it is
@@DMML850 They kinda tried... But the original Blade Runner was such a hard act to follow and after so long. So, that just makes it ( I don't think calling it bad would be right) a bit off/
When Roy catches Deckard, he says "kinship!" The dove he holds in his hand is symbolic that he has acquired a soul and becomes human. When he dies and the dove flies up to the sky, it represents his soul ascending to heaven.
There's also the Christ imagery to go along with the dove (a Christ image itself). The nail through the hand, the son of the creator, the white robes of the father (as Drinker pointed out) and the son saving humanity (Deckard), Roy's last minute sacrifice before he dies. Roy came down from the stars, back to earth, to remind us of our own humanity. And I'm not even religious! Just a top notch film.
Also worth mentioning, this film is a lot more interesting than the PKD story it was derived from. It's quite rare a film adaptation surpasses the novel.
Your review of Blade Runner was moving and insightful, perfect. I don't watch it often but I see something new whenever I watch it. Just after seeing this, I found a quote that to me echoed what you said about the value of good movies: And while the body is confined to one planet, along which it creeps with pain and difficulty; the thought can in an instant transport us into the most distant regions of the universe. - David Hume
Great review! Can't argue with any of that. I remember seeing this in 1982, and it's been with me ever since - especially Batty's final monologue. I don't think Scott has managed to pull off any other film with the same depth and moody visuals - often imitated in other films but never duplicated. Totally underrated at the time, probably misunderstood too.
Indeed he did. Steven Spielberg did well, too. His first movie, The Duel, was amazing, and then he made Jaws and Close Encounters a few years later. The Duel is about a man driving alone across the country for a new job. He encounters an old semi truck driving slowly up a hill, so he passes the truck. Unfortunately, the truck driver was insane and immediately started chasing the protagonist to kill him.
This film should be mentioned in the same breath as Maltese Falcon, Citizen Cane, and Asphalt Jungle. The artistry alone is worth the watch. Sean Young is brilliant and beautiful, her character development aside from the revelation of her true self is of the finest introspection and Deckard's ambiguity is compelling to say the least. If he truly were a replicant, would he not have made that final leap? Rutger Hauer deserved an Oscar for his performance as he played Roy masterfully. Drinker, this was one fantastic review of a epic film that will last through the ages.
ShamockParticle ah I apologize, yet full heartedly agree with your statement. Please accept my humblest apology. “The “Drinker Recomends” image on the thumbnail should be made into merchandise.”
