In the early twenty-first century, the Tyrell Corporation, during what was called the Nexus phase, developed robots, called "replicants", that were supposed to aid society, the replicants which looked and acted like humans. When the superhuman generation Nexus 6 replicants, used for dangerous off-Earth endeavors, began a mutiny on an off-Earth colony, replicants became illegal on Earth. Police units, called "blade runners", have the job of destroying - or in their parlance "retiring" - any replicant that makes its way back to or created on Earth, with anyone convicted of aiding or assisting a replicant being sentenced to death. It's now November, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Rick Deckard, a former blade runner, is called out of retirement when four known replicants, most combat models, have made their way back to Earth, with their leader being Roy Batty. One, Leon Kowalski, tried to infiltrate his way into the Tyrell Corporation as an employee, but has since been able to escape. ...Written by
Huggo
(at around 1h 8 mins) When Rachael pulls down her hair, while in Deckard's apartment after the Leon fight, her hair goes from straight, to very curly. If her hair was truly that curly, then she would have had to pull her hair straight back and very tightly into a bun, in order for her to hide her curly hair. If her hair had been "straightened" with some form of cosmetics or salon treatment, it would have stayed straight after she let her hair down. See more »
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. See more »
Alternate Versions
The European theatrical release (also available on Criterion Laserdisc) is 117 minutes long and has more explicit/violent than the original American version, with a few additions/differences from the US release:
When Batty kills Tyrell, we see him pushing his thumbs into Tyrell's eyes, and blood spurting out.
Pris lifts Deckard up by his nostrils during their fight.
Deckard shoots Pris a third time; there are also more shots of Pris kicking and screaming when she is shot.
When Roy pushes the nail through his hand, we see it burst through the skin on the other side.
OK, I admit...the first time I watched this movie I detested it. But hey, I was 16 years old and had expected an action-packed sci-fi adventure. Blade Runner is not such a film. But I am grateful for this, for after maturing a bit and rewatching the movie a couple of times, I discovered its greatness. It is not a traditional sci-fi movie, it's a touching drama about the value of life and the importance of making the most of what you've got. One of the most important themes in the film is the question of what is more valuable - humans without emotions, or machines with? The film gives no answer - it just opens our eyes and makes us aware that we should be grateful for being alive.
Some people prefer the Director's Cut, but I like the original version better - mostly because of the wonderful end line: "I didn't know how long we had together. Who does?" That pretty much sums it up.
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OK, I admit...the first time I watched this movie I detested it. But hey, I was 16 years old and had expected an action-packed sci-fi adventure. Blade Runner is not such a film. But I am grateful for this, for after maturing a bit and rewatching the movie a couple of times, I discovered its greatness. It is not a traditional sci-fi movie, it's a touching drama about the value of life and the importance of making the most of what you've got. One of the most important themes in the film is the question of what is more valuable - humans without emotions, or machines with? The film gives no answer - it just opens our eyes and makes us aware that we should be grateful for being alive.
Some people prefer the Director's Cut, but I like the original version better - mostly because of the wonderful end line: "I didn't know how long we had together. Who does?" That pretty much sums it up.