Dec. 9, 2007
Blade Runner is a 1982 neo-noir science fiction American film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. The film features Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah, and Joanna Cassidy. The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019 in which genetically manufactured beings called replicants – visually indistinguishable from adult humans – are used for dangerous and degrading work in Earth's "off-world colonies". Following a small replicant uprising, replicants become illegal on Earth; and specialist police units called "blade runners" are trained to hunt down and "retire" (kill) escaped replicants on Earth.
The plot focuses on a brutal and cunning group of replicants hiding in Los Angeles and a semi-retired blade runner, Rick Deckard (Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment. Blade Runner initially polarized critics; some were displeased with the pacing, while others enjoyed its thematic complexity.
The film performed poorly in North American theaters but achieved success overseas. Despite the box office failure of the film, it has since become a cult classic. Blade Runner has been hailed for its production design, one said to depict a "retrofitted future". The film is credited with prefiguring important concerns of the 21st century, such as globalization, climate change and genetic engineering. It remains a leading example of the neo-noir genre. Blade Runner brought author Philip K. Dick to the attention of Hollywood and several more films have since been based on his work.
Ridley Scott regards Blade Runner as his "most complete and personal film." In 2007, the American Film Institute listed it as the 97th greatest film of all time and the Internet Movie Database ranks the film as number 103 in the top 250 films. Seven versions of the film have been created, for various markets, as well as a result of controversial changes made by film executives. A rushed Director's Cut was released in 1992 after a strong response to workprint screenings. This in conjunction with its popularity as a video rental made it one of the first films to see a DVD release, resulting in a basic disc with mediocre video and audio quality. Warner Bros. announced in January 2006 the upcoming 25th anniversary theatrical and DVD release in late 2007 of the long-awaited digitally remastered definitive Final Cut by Scott.
