August 7th, 2011: Blade Runner (1982)

Cast and Crew: Ridley Scott (Director); Philip K. Dick (Original Novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep); Vangelis (Score); Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, Joe Turkel, James Hong

What It’s About: Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a Blade Runner, a man who hunts and kills synthetic humans called Replicants.  Outlawed on earth itself, Replicants work off-world in dangerous or unpleasant jobs such as the military, mining, and prostitution.  When a group of Replicants escapes and travels to Earth, Deckard must figure out why they are here, track them down, and kill them.

Why Watch it Today?: Cult character actor Brion James died today in 1999.  James has a small but memorable role as the first Replicant we meet, and his line to Deckard “Wake up.  Time to die.” was one of those endlessly repeated lines among the fans of the film I knew back in college and high school.  Blade Runner overcame abysmal box office and studio interference to become a cult classic.  For good or ill, Blade Runner was one of the first cult films to be marketed with multiple “Director’s Cuts”, as Scott tinkered with his own film and re-releasing it several times in an attempt to get closer to his “original vision”.  The film is visually striking and intriguing, packed with memorable supporting characters as well as some lovely call backs to the Noir and detective films of the 1940s.  If you haven’t seen it yet, you owe yourself a viewing.

Where to Get ItPublic libraries, iTunes, Netflix or Amazon


2 comments on “August 7th, 2011: Blade Runner (1982)

  1. I have since moved on to more obscure Bladerunner quotes.

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