a review of 银翼杀手

*This is a review for the Final Cut I can't attest as to whether or not this is the definitive version of the film as it's the only cut of Blade Runner I've seen. However, I do know that it's the only release where Ridley Scott had complete freedom to do whatever he wanted to. Do with that info what you will. It's easy to see how and why this film has been so influential over the years. The sci-fi world is beautiful and fascinating. From a visual standpoint it's right up there with Star Wars in ability to make you feel like you've stepped into another universe. The noir elements are just as strong as the sci-fi side of things. As a result Blade Runner has a very moody atmosphere and gritty tone. Unfortunately it's also very slow paced. A stunning opening gives way to a relative slog that is the film's lengthy middle chapter. There are a lot of empty feeling moments where nothing really happens outside of a few scenes dedicated to furthering the incredibly bland romance (which ends up feeling very rapey). It can grind on one's patience. Things take a turn for the more exciting once Deckard (Ford) starts coming face to face with his replicant prey. The confrontations themselves do cause some tonal inconsistencies though as they each have their own moments of unintentional(?) humor. These biorobotic androids are some whacked out characters. The final showdown proves to be a violent, tense affair. Rutger Hauer delivers a poignant and powerful monologue that to me contained the heart and soul of the film. Ultimately I feel like there are issues with Blade Runner that no cut of the film would be able to fix as they are woven into Ridley Scott's vision for the story itself. There's just way too much downtime. Yet, this is still a highly significant piece of cinema and therefore shouldn't be missed. It's also still a good movie, warts and all. At least that's how I found this cut to be. Based on what I've heard, this is usually considered to be the best version of the film. Apparently the original theatrical release got saddled with some tiresome narration that Ford gave intentionally hammy delivery for as he did not approve of it. Something that makes it harder to watch. But enough about that. None of it has any bearing on this review anyways for reasons previously mentioned. So in conclusion this "Final Cut" made me think of Blade Runner as a good (but flawed) film that I mostly liked and consider to be worth watching.