Blade Runner (1982)

In director Ridley Scott's sci-fi classic - it was an imaginative, visually-complex, film-noirish and futuristic sci-fi melodrama, adapted from a Philip K. Dick 1968 novel (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), that told about a decaying, futuristic, dystopic and dreary Los Angeles in the year 2019. The dense, puzzling, detailed plot of the film was backed by a mesmerizing, melancholy musical soundtrack from Greek composer Vangelis - undeservedly overlooked for an Oscar nomination. It received only two Academy Award nominations without Oscars: Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, and Best Visual Effects. The other losing nominee for Visual Effects was ghost-story Poltergeist (1982), and both lost to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).

It was Scott's follow-up to his hit Alien (1979), and became one of the most popular and influential science-fiction films of all time. Originally, the enthralling film was a box-office financial failure, and it received negative reviews from film critics who called it muddled and baffling. Its central character was weary, former police officer/bounty hunter Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a hard-boiled, jaded, semi-retired, Philip Marlowe-style ex-cop detective known as a "blade runner" who was forced out of retirement by the state to search, hunt down and eliminate four near-human android replicants (robotic NEXUS-6 models) that had been created with limited life spans. The genetically-engineered renegades had escaped from enslaving conditions on an Off-World outer planet.

It contained all the requisite parts of a detective, film noirish thriller - an alienated hero of questionable morality, an android femme fatale (Sean Young), airborne police vehicles called "Spinners," dark sets and locations in a dystopic Los Angeles of 2019, and a downbeat voice-over narration. The film mixed in some western genre elements as well, and was thematically similar to the story in High Noon (1952) of a lone marshal facing four western outlaws.

The film's theme, the difficult quest for immortality, was supplemented by an ever-present eye motif - there were various VK eye tests, an Eye Works factory, and other symbolic references to eyes as being the window to the soul. Scott's masterpiece also asked the veritable question: what does it mean to be truly human? One of its main posters advertised the tagline: "MAN HAS MADE HIS MATCH - NOW IT'S HIS PROBLEM."

The film has become one of the most tampered-with products, with many different variations. It was originally filmed without a monotone, explanatory voice-over in a somber, Raymond Chandler-like manner. After the studio held disastrous preview test screenings, a noirish, somber, flat-voiced narration (by lead character Harrison Ford) was added to make the plot more accessible, and a tacked-on, positive, upbeat ending (using out-takes from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980)), was also added. The film's noted 1992 Director's Cut re-release strongly implied that replicant-hunting "bladerunner" cop Rick Deckard was also a replicant (artificial or cloned human), with implanted memories of his own, demonstrated by his "unicorn reverie" daydream.

• the film began with title cards - a prologue about escaped slaves that were created virtually identical to humans (known as NEXUS-6 android replicants designed by genetic engineers at the Tyrell Corporation); they were being used Off-world as slave labor in the hazardous exploration and colonization of other planets; after a bloody mutiny in an Off-world colony, replicants were declared illegal on Earth; special squads known as Blade Runner units were tasked with killing (or 'retiring') the now-dangerous adversaries
• in homage to director Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927), there were awe-inspiring visuals of a fiery apocalyptic, dark, visionary views of the sprawling Los Angeles ("Neo-Tokyo") cityscape at night, in the dystopic 21st century (in November 2019); giant, fire-belching towers, floating electronic, holographic advertisement-billboards on floating crafts, giant television screens and skyscrapers, and police vehicles or "spinners" (flying hover cars) - all was reflected in a single human eye in the film's opening
• in the city's rainy drizzle, the film provided the first glimpse of the title character - ex-blade runner-hero Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) reading a newspaper against a Japanese noodle bar display window; Deckard was approached by fellow cop Gaff (Edward James Olmos), who informed him that he was ordered to speak to his ex-boss, police supervisor Bryant (M. Emmett Walsh)
• in the police department, Deckard learned from Bryant about six genetically-engineered, bio-robotic android 'replicants' (robotic NEXUS-6 models), designed by the Tyrell Corporation, that were recent renegades (derogatorily called "skin-jobs") who had escaped to Earth from enslaving conditions on an Off-World outer planet, looking for their creator to prolong their short lives; two of the six replicants were electrocuted while trying to break into the Tyrell Corp. (for some unknown reason), but four were still at-large
• Deckard was compelled to watch a video of the VK testing of a dim-witted employment applicant for a position with the Tyrell Corp. named Leon Kowalski (Brion James) by test administrator Dave Holden (Morgan Paull); the analytical test used a Voigt-Kampff (VK) machine to identify NEXUS-6 replicants through responses to questions measuring empathy and emotion; realizing that he was being rated poorly, the agitated Leon shot and seriously wounded Holden during the test, revealing that he was one of the renegade replicants
• Deckard was compelled by Bryant to come out of retirement and seek out and destroy Leon and three other replicants; the challenge was that these NEXUS-6 androids were the latest and best technological bioengineered life-forms or products virtually indistinguishable from humans, created with limited life spans of four years (a built-in fail-safe mechanism in case they became too human - "more human than human") with an abrupt termination date; they also exhibited increased superhuman capacities of strength and agility
• Deckard's four rogue targets who had mutinied on the Off-World planet and illegally returned to Earth included: (1) Leon Kowalski, an ox-like, muscular combat-model replicant, (2) Zhora (Joanna Cassidy), a beautiful brunette and deadly dangerous assassinatrix, "trained for an Off-World kick-murder squad. Talk about beauty and the beast, she's both," (3) Pris (Daryl Hannah), "a basic pleasure model, the standard item for military clubs in the outer colonies," (a prostitute), with incept date: 14 Feb., 2016 (Valentine's Day); very acrobatic, punkish-looking, with blonde, straw-like hair, also Roy's girlfriend, and (4) Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), a top of the line "combat model" with a handsome face and albino coloring, "optimum self-sufficiency, probably the leader"

Four Android 'Replicants' (Robotic NEXUS-6 Models) That Had Escaped from an Off-World Outer Planet
Leon Kowalski (Brion James)	Zhora (Joanna Cassidy) - With a Replicant Snake
Pris (Daryl Hannah)	Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer)

• Deckard was set up to meet the insensitive founder of the corporation that manufactured the NEXUS-6 replicant models, Dr. Eldon Tyrell (Joe Turkel) in his spacious office, set within a complex with two pyramid-shaped towers; there, he was introduced to Tyrell's breathtakingly beautiful, cool assistant/secretary named Rachael (Sean Young)
• while Tyrell watched, to test the validity of the Voigt-Kampff test, Deckard administered the test to Rachael and determined that she was a replicant and not human; however, she was unaware of her android nature as a hot-wired, experimental NEXUS 6 (advanced) model replicant; Deckard privately informed Tyrell of his findings, who admitted that Rachael was an android, but without a pre-set termination date, and enhanced with implanted childhood memories from Tyrell's niece
• during Deckard's search for Leon, he entered Leon's hotel-apartment room address, where he took a stack of family photographs and another crucial piece of evidence - a scale later determined to be from a synthetic snake; Leon watched Deckard and then met up with fellow replicant Roy Batty, and the two visited Hannibal Chew's (James Hong) business known as Eye World; Chew was responsible for engineering eyes for the replicants created at the Tyrell Corporation; Roy and Leon questioned Chew about their life-spans and their initial creation ("incept dates"), revealing that they had only 4 years to live; their intention was to confront Tyrell and have him increase their longevity
• blade-runner Deckard returned to his apartment and met up with replicant Rachael in his elevator; he continued to rudely treat her, as she attempted to debunk his previous VK test and prove her true humanity by showing Deckard a picture of herself with her mother; he dashed her hopes and caused her to cry by telling her that her "memories" were only implants from others
• one of Tyrell's employees was introduced living in the Bradbury Hotel - quirky genetic designer J. F. Sebastian (William Sanderson) whose hobby consisted of designing lifelike toys and dolls; he had been mentioned by Chew as a possible person who had contact with Tyrell; the acrobatic Pris - one of the rogue replicants, befriended Sebastian and was invited to stay with him in his apartment
• after further study of Leon's photos with a scanner, Deckard discovered one image with a second female slightly visible in the background - he theorized it was possibly Zhora, another of the rogue replicants, who could be distinguished by a serpent tattoo on her neck; he took the scale to an Asian market where it was identified as an artificial snake scale; this important bit of information then led Deckard to an exotic strip club, Taffey's Bar owned by Taffey Lewis (Hy Pyke); one of his hired sexy stripper-dancers was a snake lady who wrapped herself in the artificial pet snake serpent during her act as Miss Salome
• Deckard suspected she was replicant Zhora and confronted her; after she assaulted him, he chased after the transparent-raincoat-wearing female through the busy streets; Deckard repeatedly shot at her, causing her to suffer a slow-motion death amidst shattering glass and blood, when she crashed through plate glass windows before being covered with shards; Leon watched her death from afar

Deckard Firing at and Killing Replicant Zhora As She Fled into Crowded Streets

• at the scene of her death, Gaff commended Deckard, who was then ordered by Bryant to add Rachael to his roster of replicants to "retire," after her disappearance from the Tyrell Corporation; soon after he spotted Rachael on the crowded street, but before confronting her, he was interrupted by Leon's ambush with a gun; after learning he only had four years to live, Leon beat up on Deckard, threatening: "Wake up! Time to die!"; fortunately for Deckard, Rachael saved his life by shooting Leon from behind in the forehead with Deckard's gun

Deckard Beaten Up by Leon Before Rachael Shot the Replicant

• back in Deckard's apartment, Rachael knew that she had been targeted as a replicant, but Deckard was now much more appreciative of her, and promised he wouldn't hunt her down; Deckard fell asleep on his couch, and was awakened by her playing the piano; he warmly complimented her ability ("You play beautifully"), although she expressed doubts about her memories of taking piano lessons
• before a love scene, Deckard approached her amorously, and in a tender, very erotic moment with the android, he kissed her softly on the side of her face; she reacted with panic and attempted to leave the apartment when he wanted to kiss her on the lips - she was unable to handle the raw, unfamiliar romantic emotions that she felt
• during the love scene between them, he slammed her against venetian blinds; he cornered her there and finally broke her down with a kiss; she eventually gave in to him, as he instructed her how to reciprocate his love, although she protested - unsure of her romantic capability; he tutored her to say: "Kiss me," and "I want you. Put your hands on me"; on her own, she told him to put his hands on her, and to continue their love-making; afterwards, he left the apartment to search out the other replicants

Love Scene Between Deckard and Replicant Rachael

• during a discussion with Sebastian in his workroom-apartment, Pris learned that her host - the elderly-looking, wrinkled-skinned engineer, had a disease known as the "Methuselah Syndrome," making him appear older than his chronological age of 25; Roy appeared and shared the recent news of the demises of both Zhora and Leon; the two also revealed to Sebastian that they were Tyrell Corporation NEXUS-6 replicant models who knew that their life-spans, like his, were prematurely truncated; Roy convinced Sebastian to help him set up a face-to-face meeting with their maker, Dr. Tyrell
• Sebastian and Roy entered Tyrell's pyramid-shaped headquarters and were able to bypass security; in the next unnerving and pensive sequence in Tyrell's penthouse - the long-awaited encounter between a maker (Dr. Tyrell) and his android NEXUS-6 creation, Roy stressed that he wanted his life to be extended beyond the built-in four year span - he desired more joie de vivre; Tyrell tried to calm and soothe his manufactured android-human with a technical explanation of the limitations explaining that it was impossible, and that the Tyrell Corporation could not accomplish Roy's wish: "To make an alteration in the evolvement of an organic life-system is fatal. The coding sequence cannot be revised once it's been established...You were made as well as we could make you"; smugly, Tyrell thought Roy (compared to a light bulb) should be grateful for whatever life span he had been given: "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long. And you have burned so very very brightly, Roy. Look at you. You're the prodigal son. You're quite a prize!"

Roy Batty's ("The Prodigal Son") Murder of Tyrell by Eye-Gouging

• Roy, the "prodigal son," reverently touched Tyrell's cheek with one hand, and placed his strong hands on both sides of Tyrell's face and passionately kissed his replicant God or 'father' Tyrell on the lips [Note: a reference to the Jesus/Judas betrayal in the New Testament, with a kiss.]; but then, with Sebastian watching, with his powerful bare hands and a look of utter contempt and pathos, Roy suddenly crushed, brutally murdered, and caved in his maker's skull with superhuman strength and gouged his eyes (!) out, as Tyrell screamed - with blood oozing out of his eye sockets; Tyrell's corpse fell to the floor
• soon after, Deckard was notified by Bryant that both Tyrell and Sebastian were found dead in Tyrell's residence; Deckard proceeded to engineer Sebastian's workroom apartment, to search for clues or other evidence; Pris hid among the many life-sized puppets, marionettes, and dolls by sitting stiffly poised and perfectly still under a veil to emulate the toy creations; suddenly, she attacked Deckard by turning complete flipping cartwheels towards him, and then landed squarely astraddle Deckard's shoulders; with her strong, muscled legs and thighs, she very nearly squeezed the life from him in a thigh-hold around his neck, and tried to twist his head off
• she attacked him a second time with another series of gymnastic cartwheels, before he shot a hole in her stomach; the first bullet sent her into a wall upside down, and she bloodily fell to the floor, screaming, spasming and writhing in agony - flailing her hands and feet in a series of spastic seizures and convulsions as she desperately fought for life; the second and third bullets caused her body to arch up off the floor as she died an agonizing death
• hiding nearby, Deckard heard lead replicant Roy return to find her corpse in the apartment with her lifeless tongue protruding from her mouth; teary-eyed and grieving Roy Batty - in a sensual, intimate farewell moment in the obliquely-cold film, sadly and soulfully kissed his dead lover's lips and caressed her tongue; when he pulled away from her mouth, he repositioned her tongue within her mouth so that she didn't die looking like an animal
• during a vivid and brutal cat-and-mouse chase scene throughout Sebastian's apartment, replicant-killer Deckard fought against the super-strong lead android Roy Batty; Deckard fired and missed, while Roy was able to grab Deckard's hand through the wall and break two of his fingers (as revenge for killing Zhora and Pris); they both eventually retreated onto the rooftop of Sebastian's building, where Roy was beginning to show signs that his life would soon end
• Deckard was rescued from the edge of the building after he failed to negotiate a jump to another rooftop and was holding on by one hand; when Deckard lost his grip, his life was spared by Batty in a supreme act of choice and redemption; with a dove in his hand, Roy sat down in front of the dazed Deckard, and at the very moment of his own termination on the rain-drenched rooftop, he acquired the human capacities of caring and benevolence
• in a climactic, mournful, majestic and poignant soliloquy delivered in the rain with water streaming down his face - washing it [a baptismal symbol of cleansing, absolution and rebirth], Batty eloquently spoke about his own memories of the distant outposts in space that would be lost forever when he died. His android memories, as a top-of-the-line combat model, revealed that he had seen and witnessed violent and aggressive attacks: ("I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain. Time to die....")
• then with a half-smile (before saying "Time to die") on his face at the moment of his death, Roy's head slumped down, and the white dove of peace [a symbol of Christianity's Holy Spirit, love, hope, etc.] was released and flew upward toward a blue sky. Its flight, symbolic of Roy's death and Deckard's rebirth, was captured in slow motion with a swelling of the Vangelis score
• Deckard mused and narrated, as he expressed empathy for the now-deceased Batty: "I don't know why he saved my life. Maybe in those last moments he loved life more than he ever had before. Not just his life - anybody's life. My life. All he'd wanted were the same answers the rest of us want. Where do I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got? All I could do was sit there and watch him die"
• on the rooftop, Deckard's fellow cop Gaff gave him back his gun, and congratulated him on his successful mission to kill the four replicants; Gaff then reminded Deckard that Rachael also only had a short time to live: "It's too bad she won't live. But then again, who does?"
• in the film's final sequence, Deckard returned to his apartment to retrieve his love interest Rachael, and found the door slightly ajar; he was relieved to find that she was alive in his bedroom, covered up with sheets; Deckard coaxed Rachael to prepare to escape with him; as they left his apartment to take the elevator, Deckard discovered one of Gaff's sculptured, calling-card creations - a shiny, silver, tin-foil origami of a unicorn; apparently, Gaff knew of the implanted memories and pre-programmed short lifespan of the replicants, and he had decided to spare replicant Rachael's life when he had the chance to kill her inside Deckard's place; the sinister Gaff had seemingly acquired empathy and let Rachael live - after all, he believed that she only had a short time to live anyway with her reduced lifespan; Deckard held up the origami creation, as he recalled Gaff's words about her short time to live [Note: In the later versions of the film, the plot ended with the closing of the elevator doors]
• the two descended in the elevator as they left to escape the law into an uninhabited wilderness with blue skies; a final voice-over narration (in the tacked-on 1982 version) explained that Rachael was a special replicant without a pre-set or fixed termination date: ("Gaff had been there, and let her live. Four years, he figured. He was wrong. Tyrell had told me Rachael was special: no termination date. I didn't know how long we had together. Who does?")