Blade Runner (1982)

Genres

Sci-Fi, Thriller

Director

Ridley Scott

Country

USA

Cast

Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, Brion James, Joe Turkel, Joanna Cassidy, James Hong, Morgan Paull, Kevin Thompson, John Edward, Hy Pyke, Kimiko Hiroshige, Robert Okazaki, Carolyn DeMirjian, Den Astar

Storyline

In 2019 Los Angeles, blade runner Deckard (Harrison Ford) is hired to hunt down a fugitive group of replicants, humanoids created by man and used as slaves.

Opinion

Blade Runner is one of those movies that is on my watchlist since always, and despite the great things people say about it I never bothered watching it. Frankly, I thought it was going to be another science-fiction flick with Harrison Ford. But Scott made it (when he still made great films) so it couldn't be just another film of the genre. And it sure isn't.

Blade Runner is a glorious, incredible science fiction film that all the movies of the genre should take the example from. With a very simple and straightforward story, the film proves that you don't need a very complex, intricate plot to keep the viewer glued to the screen. The cool thing about it is that it's some sort of detective/neo-noir story set in a dystopian future.

And it has a great main character too. Although Deckard, the blade runner aka a special cop whose job is to track down and eliminate replicant, doesn't have much character development, his awakening is incredibly interesting. At the beginning, he is just a lifeless dude, someone who's sleep-walking through life as Linklater would say, but he slowly comes to life. And you root for him, without even caring whether he's good or evil. And Harrison Ford delivers the character moral ambiguity wonderfully.

Unlike most science fiction films, Ridley Scott's has some deep philosophical message; it is a commentary on what it mean to be human and what's the meaning of life. It explores the fear of the unknown, of not knowing where we come from and where we are going.

And it's also very beautiful to look at. The gritty urban atmosphere is delivered to perfection by a great use of lighting, a striking photography and a score that makes the film even more gripping.