Details
Movie Description
Director Ridley Scott's hauntingly prescient vision of the not-too-distant future stars Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, a retired police assassin, or "blade runner." The Los Angeles of 2019 is a dark, polluted, overcrowded dystopia dominated by cloud-piercing buildings and looming neon billboards, the air dense with acid rain and flying traffic. World-weary Deckard has been called out of retirement to liquidate four escaped "replicants"--genetically derived androids of great strength, intelligence, and nearly-human emotion who serve as slaves and prostitutes in the off-planet colonies. Led by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), they've come to Los Angeles to confront their designer, Eldon Tyrell (Joe Turkel), with their unhappiness about the brevity of their four-year life span. In the course of his search, Deckard becomes romantically entwined with Tyrell's lovely assistant, Rachael (Sean Young), and must eventually confront Batty in an unforgettable rain-soaked sequence.
A highly influential fusion of the science fiction and noir genres based on the novel DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? by Philip K. Dick, this postmodern film boasts astonishingly rich art direction, juxtaposing ingenious technological gadgetry with yellowing photographs and fetishistic objets d'art as it touches on questions of time, memory, identity, and mortality. Scott's 1992 director's cut edition contains notable alterations, including the absence of Ford's narration, which significantly heightens the ambiguity of key moments in this stunning cinematic landmark.
Synopsis
In 21st-century Los Angeles, a semi-retired cop, known as a "blade runner," is assigned to hunt down and eliminate four "replicants"--genetically created humanoid robots. Ridley Scott's bleak masterpiece has influenced hundreds of films and ranks as one of the finest sci-fi films ever made.
Film Notes
Theatrical release: June 25, 1982.
BLADE RUNNER - THE DIRECTOR'S CUT is a reedited version of the film that received a limited theatrical rerelease in 1992.
BLADE RUNNER was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1993.
Industry Reviews
"...A great Vangelis score, astonishing production design, Hauer's career role - and a movie that deserves its cult reputation..."
USA Today - p.8D - Mike Clark
"...The world of BLADE RUNNER has undeniably become one of the visual touchstones of modern movies..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (09/11/1992)
"...A mix of urban squalor and cyberchic that produced a look that has been often imitated but never duplicated..."
Entertainment Weekly - Entertainment Weekly Staff (01/11/2002)
"The craftsmanship, especially the production design, is so meticulous that the film doesn't seem dated..."
Sight and Sound - Geoffrey Macnab (12/01/2006)
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