Blade Runner: The Final Cut Review

 

Blade Runner: The Final Cut

Director: Ridley Scott

Stars: Harrison Ford, Sean Young, Rutger Hauer, Daryl Hannah, Brion James, Joanna Cassidy, M.Emmet Walsh, William Sanderson, Joe Turkel & Edward James Olmos

Running Time: 117 mins

Release: 23^rd November 2007 (Final Cut) & 9^th September 1982 (original release)

The film is set in a future LA and the year is 2019. The plot focuses on a retired Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) who get's called back into action to 'retire' four Nexus 6 replicants who have escaped and hijacked a ship backed to earth seeking there maker Dr. Eldon Tyrell (Turkel) whilst he falls in love with Rachel (Sean Young) a Nexus 6 replicant. This film is an absolute classic masterpiece marrying sci-fi and noir perfectly with brilliant themes and the most majestic gorgeous production i've seen to grace screen. Also there are two endings the Final Cut is more of a ambiguous ending whilst the Theatrical ending is more clear cut, I saw the theatrical version a few years ago.

When people talk about Harrison Ford they mainly talk about his big three film; Blade Runner, Star Wars Trilogy and The Indiana Jones films and I have to say this my absolute favourite character that Ford portrays. He's quite cynical and embittered and despite being human he does not feel it or express that he's human but as the film develops he becomes more alive, if you see the film you know what I mean. Ford is perfect as Deckard, it's effortless for Ford he's got charm and is a brilliant protagonist and though Deckard is a Blade Runner he's very much a gumshoe and one of the best. One small thing they also keep intact with Deckard in the film is his fascination with replicant animals.

Rutger Hauer is absolutely perfect as Roy Batty the enigmatic, charismatic leading rouge Nexus 6 replicant who's near the end of his 4 year lifespan who is seeking he's creator to extend his and his lover Pris (Daryl Hannah) lifespan. I must say for an antagonist you sympathise with and he feels very human much more so than Deckard and expresses a lot of emotion and is a very nuanced performance and the final showdown between Deckard and Batty is an absolutely timeless classic scene and really sums up the whole film. In a way Batty helps Deckard regain his humanity. He has some the best lines in the film and is a memorable character and Hauer always makes a fantastic villain. You can tell he really enjoys the role.

Sean Young plays the Nexus 6 Replicant Rachel who's an experiment for Tyrell and the first Nexus 6 Replicant that Deckard meets and he's entranced and encapsulated by her and gradually develops feelings for her as she does for him despite being a replicant, it shows that she's coming towards the end of her own lifespan. She really brings out the human side of Deckard and Sean Young is extremely beautiful in the film, it's a pity she never did a film on this level after Blade Runner.

I cannot write this review without mentioning J.F Sebastian played by William Sanderson a actor I have never really heard of before. He's Tyrell's genetic engineer who designed the replicants and is fascinated by them and makes his own toys as he calls them 'friends' he has a skin condition that makes him look older than he appears it's called Methuselah Syndrome. To me Sebastian comes across as a completely innocent child like man who unwittingly gets involved into Batty and Pris's scheme to meet Tyrell.

Daryl Hannah plays the strikingly beautifully and extremely dangerous Pris who's Batty's lover, in some parts there's some innocence to her especially with her scene's with Sebastian from there initial meeting, but I think it's used to mask her dangerous and unpredictable nature.

Joanna Cassidy plays Zhora a Nexus 6 replicant that Deckard hunts, she tries to mask being a replicant with the career of being an exotic dancer, Deckard gets to her by using the cover of being a entertainment agent and there chase scene is simply amazing.

Brion James plays the fourth replicant that Deckard hunts Leon Kowalski, he's impervious to pain,except death, he's brilliant in the role and one of James finest, he was also in another film I love Southern Comfort as the redneck Trapper that the national guard troopers capture, he's equally brilliant in that role. The Voight Kampff test scene which is the opening scene is brilliant, the VK test is used to detect Replicants it analyses the subjects emotional reaction to certain emotional based questions.

Edward James Olmos plays Gaff a police detective who says so little who is assigned to help Deckard in some capacity to hunt the Replicants. He does not talk that much in the film but he has a big presence in the film and has a unique look which helps with his dress sense and contacts, he has a tendency to make origami figures.

Joe Turkel plays Tyrell, the head of Tyrell industries who created the replicants to use as slaves in off world colonies, with the Nexus 6 models he implanted them with the ability to develop human emotions to make them more human and cruelly also gave them a four year life span. You can tell he's fascinated by his creations and says they are 'more human than humans' as they are incredibly advance. This is the only film I have seen Turkel in and he's absolutely brilliant.

To wrap up the casting M.Emmet Walsh plays Bryant Deckard's former boss who brings him out of retirement for the assignment of retiring the replicants, as Deckard is his favourite Blade Runner and he knows he gets the job done. I have seen this film in it's whole entirety twice now and I have only realised Emmet Walsh was in this now, he's a fantastic character who has a great range of roles and a collaborator with the Coen Brothers he features in Blood Simple and Raising Arizona.

I first saw this film on DVD first and this time on Blu-Ray and boy what an upgrade !, it's like watching it for the first time all over again and it looks like it was made just last year, it's up there with Alien & Chinatown in best quality Blu-Ray's the image is so crisp and clear and really brings the film to life and you can see all the immense amount of detail that was put into the film. Being this is the Final Cut it has the added subtle special effects to enhance the film.

The Production all around is majestic and beautiful in every single aspect from the sets, miniatures, costumes and props and damn I have never seen light used as beautifully as in this it really adds to the atmosphere of the film. The future LA depicted the city as a scrawling, neon-lit, dark, dank capitalist city in decay and ridden with poverty drenched with rain and it looks absolutely beautiful. Tyrell's building, Sebastian's apartment and Deckard's apartments are my favourite sets.

The advancement of technology plays a massive part of the film as there's a lot of commercial advertising for technology in the film which adds to the capitalism element of the film, despite the film being made over 30 years ago the technology feels very fresh I love the old style monitors and the VK test and Deckard's signature gun and the flying cars !.

The score by Vangelis is divine is one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard I absolutely love it and if you have seen the film and heard the soundtrack you know where each track plays, unfortunately the full soundtrack is very rare to get and there are many releases of the soundtrack which have different tracks on them I have the 12 track OST with the original poster as the cover.

The film has so many themes, technology, morality, life, death, human existence, what it means to be alive, society and man playing god, there's so many more I could mention.

I absolutely love this film it's one of my absolute favourites and I am surprised I have only seen it twice if you love sci-fi and or noir this is quintessential viewing it's an absolutely amazing film and my favourites Ridley Scott film just above Alien.