BLADE RUNNER (1982) - ♦♦♦♦♦
Directed by - Ridley Scott
Written by - Hampton Fancher, David Webb Peoples (based on the novel 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' by Philip K. Dick)
Starring - Harrison Ford
"Ridley Scott draws inspiration from the style of the film noir for his wonderful returns to the science fiction genre in Blade Runner, that can easily be considered as one of the genre's most trendsetting specimen. Here, Harrison Ford plays a retired police assassin sent to search and liquidate four escaped androids with near human emotions, used as slaves and prostitutes in the futuristic underworld.
The striking aesthetics of Blade Runner are legendary and breathtaking. This is thanks to Jordan Croneweth's lavish and soft lit cinematography and also David Snyder's sensuous imagining of a futuristic Los Angeles, an overcrowded pot pourry of riveting multi cultural influences whose primary source of light seems to come from the cold and buzzing neon lights.
This is a world where past, present and future seem to truly collide, and it provides an intense backdrop to the existentialist themes that lie at the core of Blade Runner, which was based on a Philip K. Dick novel. Much of the interest of the film comes from the emotive sensibilities of Ridley Scott to the deep concerns of its characters, whether it is about freedom, love or their own humanity.
The three dimensional characters are played masterfully by the cast. Harrison Ford's arched eyebrows and concerned looks reveals the vulnerabilities at the prospect of the questioning of his own nature of being - uncertain as to whether he is a human or a replicant. His antagonist Rutger Hauer, on the other hand, seems like a proto punk villain and yet he is full of soft spots and a love for existence and life that is heartbreakingly shown in the unforgettable rain soaked finale.
All this a more shows a remarkable density in the film, that makes its spectacular action sequences and the thrill of the chase all the more exciting."
Science Fiction, USA/Hong Kong/UK
