Blade Runner (1982)

Deckard, a blade runner, has to track down and terminate 4 replicants who hijacked a ship in space and have returned to Earth seeking their maker.

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writers:

Hampton Fancher (screenplay), David Webb Peoples (screenplay),

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young

Top 250 #123 | Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harrison Ford	...	Rick Deckard
Rutger Hauer	...	Roy Batty
Sean Young	...	Rachael
Edward James Olmos	...	Gaff
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Bryant
Daryl Hannah	...	Pris
William Sanderson	...	J.F. Sebastian
Brion James	...	Leon Kowalski
Joe Turkel	...	Dr. Eldon Tyrell
Joanna Cassidy	...	Zhora
James Hong	...	Hannibal Chew
Morgan Paull	...	Holden
Kevin Thompson	...	Bear
John Edward Allen	...	Kaiser
Hy Pyke	...	Taffey Lewis

Storyline

In a cyberpunk vision of the future, man has developed the technology to create replicants, human clones used to serve in the colonies outside Earth but with fixed lifespans. In Los Angeles, 2019, Deckard is a Blade Runner, a cop who specializes in terminating replicants. Originally in retirement, he is forced to re-enter the force when four replicants escape from an off-world colony to Earth.

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Plot Keywords:

replicant | blade runner | future | cyberpunk | retirement | 

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Taglines:

Man Has Made His Match... Now It's His Problem

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [fr] Warner Bros. [us]

Country:

USA Hong Kong UK

Language:

English German Cantonese Japanese Hungarian

Release Date:

25 June 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Istrebljivač

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$6,150,002 (USA) (25 June 1982)

Gross:

$1,445,283 (USA) (28 March 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ladd Company, The, Shaw Brothers, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The outtakes link between this movie and The Shining was not the only element that connected the two. Actor Joe Turkel who plays Dr. Eldon Tyrell, also played Lloyd (the bartender who serves Jack) in The Shining. Outtakes aside, Turkel is the only other common cast/crew link between both films.

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Goofs

In Deckard's apartment, the color of Rachael's lipstick changes from red to pink/natural and back several times.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Female announcer over intercom: Next subject: Kowalski, Leon. Engineer, waste disposal. File section: New employee, six days.

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Crazy Credits

In the "happy ending" Theatrical/International cuts, the credits play over the gorgeous scenery. In later Director/Final cuts, they play over a normal black background.

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Connections

Referenced in Red Cockroaches (2003)

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Soundtracks

"LOVE THEME"
(uncredited)
Written by Vangelis
Saxaphone solo Dick Morrisey (uncredited)

User Reviews

New Blu-Ray Disc Made Me A Blade Runner Fan

Sometimes you just need to give a film a second chance, even if it is 20 years later! Only some rave reviews about the picture quality of this new 5-disc "Complete Collector's Edition" enticed me to watch this again. Wow, I am glad; this was a very entertaining and a tremendous visual and audio treat.

I actually appreciated the audio best because, even in this new Blu-Ray era, one doesn't often find a film with very active surround speakers. However, this "restored" version did and the sound is, at the point, the best I've heard on a Blu-Ray disc....or any DVD, for that matter. The visuals? Well, fans of Blade Runner know all about them. They are fantastic. Scene-after-scene reminded me of a Stanley Kubrick film or another bizarre 1980s movie called "Jacob's Ladder."

Because there are so many things to see and hear, and the story is different, one filled with strange characters, I can see where people would watch this film multiple times and enjoy it very much each time. The "Collector's Edition" has the best picture ever, according to director Ridley Scott, and "is the version I'm most pleased with." It has added scenes one didn't see in earlier versions. The rest of the DVD has those earlier versions. Apparently, there are several including those with Harrison Ford doing narration, like out of a late '40s film noir.

Speaking of the latter, that's what this film looked like: a combination film noir (or neo-noir) and sci-fi movie. It has many dark images, fantastic night-time scenes, wonderful closeups and an always-interesting color palette. Sci-fi films usually get dated in a hurry, thanks to ever-increasing special-effects progress in the movie industry, but this still looks very good. Despite being made over 25 years ago, Blade Runner still looks very much state-of-the-art.

Scott says this is the best version and the best his film has ever looked and sounded. Since it's his movie, who am I to argue. So, if you're like me and never gave this movie a chance (I lost interest halfway through with my VHS look at it), give this a second look on this Blu-Ray edition....and you will be blown away. This is, indeed, an amazing film.