Blade Runner Movie Review

Moody, beautifully photographed thriller has become better with age. 21st century L.A. is violent, rainy, smoky, and dark; a multi-ethnic, multi-racial place where the wealthy live in cool luxury and everyone else fights for a little space and quiet away from the crowd and the constant barrage of advertising. That world is so believable that it gives the action an unusual amount of emotional power. And, by the second or third viewing, the story actually makes sense. World-weary ex-cop tracks down a handful of renegade “replicants” (synthetically produced human slaves who, with only days left of life, search madly for some way to extend their prescribed lifetimes). Based rather loosely on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, a novella by Philip K. Dick. On tape, the enduring cult favorite exists in two versions, both different from the original theatrical release. The older 118-minute tape version has a few moments of more violent footage. The 1993 director's cut runs 117 minutes. It eliminates the voice-over narration and has a different ending.

1982 (R) 122m/C Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Daryl Hannah, M. Emmet Walsh, Edward James Olmos, Joe Turkel, Brion James, Joanna Cassidy; D: Ridley Scott; W: Hampton Fancher, David Peoples; C: Jordan Cronenweth; M: Vangelis. Hugos ‘83: Dramatic Presentation; Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards ‘82: Best Cinematography; Nominations: Academy Awards ‘82: Best Art Direction/Set Decoration. VHS, Beta, LV, 8mm COL, WAR, CRC