Bladerunner: Finally the Final Cut?
December 19, 2007I saw Bladerunner: The Final Cut, at the Landmark in West LA not long ago. This is about the 17th version of Bladerunner released, but I have to say the 25th anniversary version, seen on-screen in a new all-digital print, was the best yet. It’s now on what I hear is a sumptuous, and expensive, DVD.
It’s the first of nine films based on Philip K. Dick’s fiction, ranging in quality from Minority Report and Total Recall down to Paycheck and last year’s excellent Through a Scanner Darkly.
Although the movie is on many all-time best lists, Bladerunner was a critical and commercial failure when released in 1982, despite the best efforts of brilliant director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator), composer Vangelis, incredible cinematography and art direction, and the acting of star Harrison Ford. It also had decorative performances by Darryl Hannah and Sean Young, and brilliant supporting work by Emmet Walsh, James Olmos, Brion James (Leon the killer replicant with a soft spot for his family pictures), snake charmer Joanna Cassidy, and Rutger Hauer as charismatic replicant leader/killer Roy Batty.
In Blade Runner, “Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard, a retired…blade runner, a euphemism for detectives that hunt down and assassinate rogue replicantsin Los Angeles circa 2019.” The plot combines science fiction and film noir detective work. (Karl Williams All-Movie Guide.)
So if Bladerunner’s so great, why the initial box office disaster? It may be heresy to say, but as my trainer at the gym says, Bladerunner is slowwwww.
