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
All of the replicants have a visual or thematic relation to an animal: Leon Kowalski - Tortoise (via Dave Holden's question), Rachael - Owl (in Dr. Elden Tyrell's pyramid), Zhora - Snake (as part of her act), Pris - Raccoon (her "punk" make-up), Roy Batty - Wolf (howling during the final scenes). In keeping with this idea, Rick Deckard's unicorn dream would have double significance, as it associates him not just with an animal, but a mythical, unnatural one, making him a unique replicant. See more »
Goofs
(at around 27 mins) Roy Batty and Leon enter "Eye World" to interrogate Hannibal Chew. As the sliding door to the room opens, you can clearly see a set lighting stand leg in the lower left of the opening. This was not caught in the newest version of the film. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Female announcer over intercom:
Next subject: Kowalski, Leon. Engineer, waste disposal. File section: New employee, six days.
See more »
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
CBS edited 3 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere. Some of the missing scenes include:
Bryant's line "Don't be an asshole Deckard" was changed to "Don't be an ass Deckard".
The word "Christ" was cut from Byrant's line "Christ Deckard, you look almost as bad as that skin job you left on the sidewalk"
The word "goddamn" was cut from Bryant's line "He's a goddamn one man slaughter house."
All scenes showing Zhora's breasts have been removed.
Roy's line, "I want more life fucker/father" was changed to "I want more life".
Roy's murder of Tyrell is much shorter than in all other versions.
The fight between Pris and Deckard is heavily edited; all shots of Pris thrashing on the ground after being shot were cut, as were all the scenes where Deckard's head is trapped between her legs.
But it's almost like an art movie, the first science-fiction art film It's a futuristic film beautifully put together It's really impeccably made by one of the great visionary directors And you really saw a future that looked very different from the future you had seen before A future that looked very believable like the visual-effects shots of the flying car going over a futuristic city The fight sequence doesn't prepare you for the traumatic emotional side that there is in the film, it leaves you sort of broken
There is a beautiful, delicate emotional great scene that I remember when I first saw the movie I'm in the theater and I'm so drawn in what Rutger Hauer's doing I'm so drawn in by what the theme of the movie has brought us to The magnificent moment where he is letting go of life And in those last moments of letting go of life he's really learned to appreciate life to the point where he spares Deckard's life, and where he's even holding a white dove because he just wants to have something that's alive in his hands It's an amazing sort of crescendo that's going and there's Rutger saying: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. All these moments will be lost in time like tears in rain." Hauer puts all the things that are so amazing about people: sense of poetry, sense of humor, sense of sexuality, sense of the kid, sense of soul
Scott brought out the best qualities in his performers He coaxed and very gently manipulated performances from his actors that in some instances I think they've rarely topped You feel the story, you feel the emotions of the characters and you will be lost in the middle of this wild world, you know, it's so rich and it's painful I mean it's a very bluesy, dark story and told very compassionately
The overpopulation, the sort of crowd scenes is so rich and varied and there's such an extreme detail designing the magazine covers, designing the look of the punks, the Hare Krishnas, the biological salesman, everything is designed You have just Piccadilly Circus punks walking by You have a sense of layers in that society That is one of those things that you see again and again The city landscape with the big billboards à la Kyoto or Tokyo Scott was able to create the look based on what goes on in various cities all over the world Whether it is Tokyo, Kyoto or Beijing or Hong Kong or whatever, you're right in "Blade Runner" country
"Blade Runner," to me, embodies the elegance, the power, and the uniqueness of a film experience It's the most classical, beautiful, purest movie-making writing and then the film-making itself is The images and the sound and the music, it's pure cinema Ridley came out with an amazing, brilliantly executed future of an absolute dystopia The intensity of his perfectionism on "Blade Runner" made the movie This is a master at his best
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But it's almost like an art movie, the first science-fiction art film It's a futuristic film beautifully put together It's really impeccably made by one of the great visionary directors And you really saw a future that looked very different from the future you had seen before A future that looked very believable like the visual-effects shots of the flying car going over a futuristic city The fight sequence doesn't prepare you for the traumatic emotional side that there is in the film, it leaves you sort of broken
There is a beautiful, delicate emotional great scene that I remember when I first saw the movie I'm in the theater and I'm so drawn in what Rutger Hauer's doing I'm so drawn in by what the theme of the movie has brought us to The magnificent moment where he is letting go of life And in those last moments of letting go of life he's really learned to appreciate life to the point where he spares Deckard's life, and where he's even holding a white dove because he just wants to have something that's alive in his hands It's an amazing sort of crescendo that's going and there's Rutger saying: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. All these moments will be lost in time like tears in rain." Hauer puts all the things that are so amazing about people: sense of poetry, sense of humor, sense of sexuality, sense of the kid, sense of soul
Scott brought out the best qualities in his performers He coaxed and very gently manipulated performances from his actors that in some instances I think they've rarely topped You feel the story, you feel the emotions of the characters and you will be lost in the middle of this wild world, you know, it's so rich and it's painful I mean it's a very bluesy, dark story and told very compassionately
The overpopulation, the sort of crowd scenes is so rich and varied and there's such an extreme detail designing the magazine covers, designing the look of the punks, the Hare Krishnas, the biological salesman, everything is designed You have just Piccadilly Circus punks walking by You have a sense of layers in that society That is one of those things that you see again and again The city landscape with the big billboards à la Kyoto or Tokyo Scott was able to create the look based on what goes on in various cities all over the world Whether it is Tokyo, Kyoto or Beijing or Hong Kong or whatever, you're right in "Blade Runner" country
"Blade Runner," to me, embodies the elegance, the power, and the uniqueness of a film experience It's the most classical, beautiful, purest movie-making writing and then the film-making itself is The images and the sound and the music, it's pure cinema Ridley came out with an amazing, brilliantly executed future of an absolute dystopia The intensity of his perfectionism on "Blade Runner" made the movie This is a master at his best