'Blade Runner'

Blade Runner (1982),            Director: Ridley Scott             Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

‘Blade Runner’, loosely based on the novel ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ by Philip K. Dick, depicts a dystopian Los Angeles (set in a prediction of what 2019 could be like) in which genetically engineered robots, eerily referred to as ‘replicants’, exist within the workforce. The use of the word ‘replicant’ the essence of which comes from ‘replicate’ highlights the organic nature of these robots and that they are virtually indistinguishable from humans, able therefore to even replace them. However, they have superior strength, agility and variable intelligence which caused the use of replicants on Earth to be banned and so the Tyrell Corporation manufactures the replicants only for dangerous, menial or leisure work on Earth's off-world colonies. It is the job of Blade Runners to enforce this ban by hunting down and ‘retiring’ replicants who breach this law. The plot follows Blade Runner, Rick Deckard, as he takes on a final assignment to hunt down four recently escaped replicants.

‘Blade Runner’ is often considered part of the neo-noir genre, which means it draws its styling from films noir, typically American crime dramas or psychological thrillers, from the ‘40’s and ‘50’s. Conventions such as protagonists who are conflicted antiheroes, trapped in difficult situations and making choices out of desperation or within a corrupted moral system (moral nihilism). Visual elements include low-key lighting, artistic use of light and shadow for effect and usual camera placement.

The Title: ‘Blade Runner’ refers to the nickname given to people who work for a special branch of the police organisation and use the ‘Voight-Kampff’ machine (an advanced lie detector) to discover replicants. This title is now iconic because of this cult classic film, however it was actually taken from Alan E. Nourse, who wrote a book called ‘The Bladerunner’ but this is where any similarities end.

The Tagline: “Man has made his match …Now it’s his problem.” This highlights one of the main messages of the film that man is the antagonist as much as the replicants. The society of 2019 created these robots and treated them as an underclass when they were manufactured to be as similar to humans as possible. The idea of this questionable morality sets up the tone of the narrative. The ambiguous ‘his’ could relate to mankind as a whole or merely the protagonist or even the replicants. This also connotes to the seeking of personal and human identity, a prominent goal within the thematically complex film. The tagline may even go further to present the audience with a moral choice, whether or not to condemn man for the problems that unfold within the film.

Characters:

The protagonist Deckard (Harrison Ford) is an ex-Blade Runner and it is his fight against the replicants and story of moral discovery that the audience follows. He acts as a human comparison with the replicants and means to show that they are not so very different. There are many parallels that can be drawn between him and Roy (the leader of the rebelling replicants) not least their original aggression and violence followed by emerging sensitivity and understanding. These similarities ask the audience the question ‘what does it mean to be truly human?’ In one version of the shooting script the film ends with a voice over where Deckard says “I knew it on the roof that night. We were brothers, Roy Batty and I!” highlighting that Deckard has come to the understanding that the replicants are not just alike physically to humans but have learnt and become the embodiment of what it is to be human – in essence this is shown through their fight for survival and Deckard’s awakening to the value of life. This over voicing has also led to speculation over whether Deckard himself is a replicant, supported by the theory that only another replicant could take the beatings that Deckard does and survive,  thereby shocking the audience and revealing that there is no difference between the replicants and humans as the audience could not have guessed at  Deckard’s origin.

Rachael (Sean Young) is an experimental Nexus 6 replicant who has been imbued with the memories of her creator’s niece. Her significance to the narrative is that she awakens Deckard’s sympathetic character, rekindling in him an ability to love and appreciate unique human qualities. This is ironic as she is a replicant who is able to bring out Deckard’s human and emotional characteristics where other humans had made him suppress them. Her presentation as a fem fatale is supported by her composed and assured manner making her appear cold and at times indifferent. Outside of the Tyrell Corporation and after her discovery of her identity she develops more as an emotional character as she explores herself to try and find the human within. Other than a role as a love interest she is also pivotal in the ‘replicants are equal to humans’ debate and furthers the theme of self discovery within the film. She also challenges Deckard as to his views on replicants and plants doubt as to his human status, asking “Have you ever taken that test yourself?” of the VK replicant lie-detector.

Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) is the leader of the four renegade replicants that have returned to Earth to seek out their maker. The themes behind their story and motives highlight, ironically, the human condition –to want to live (“I want more life, father!”). There are links to many classic texts behind their story, most notably ‘Frankenstein’ where the creature, neglected from birth, seeks his maker to ask one request. Also, Roy’s often violent and extreme actions, he kills his maker by gouging out his eyes, can be viewed as the resulting actions of his enslavement and life lived in fear of death. Roy is extremely intelligent, strong and powerful. He uses his superior skills to manipulate and control the humans around him in pursuit of his goal. Ironically, the passion and aggression with which the replicants fight to survive only impresses further how human their reactions are. Roy is shown to have a Romantic soul, which we see through his love for Pris and grief at her murder and also his reflection on life, “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe… All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.” Although initially the antagonist of the narrative Roy’s journey and conclusion transform him into a noble and heroic figure (when he allows Deckard to live). The character of Roy is exceptionally deep and brings to mind the saying “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” – if the story were told from the position of the replicants he would have seemed a tragic hero from the start.

Dr. Eldron Tyrell (Joe Turkel) owns the Tyrell Corporation which manufactures the replicants. He is extremely intelligent and designed the Nexus 6 brain. His character role is one of the scientist who plays God or Creator within the film. The actual antagonist of the film, as it often is in dystopian futures, is the society. Tyrell is a representation who embodies the values of capitalism and ideas of morality held within the film world of 2019. It is alluded to that Tyrell is a chess champion and therefore the narrative of the film could be viewed as an experiment of which he is initially the master but later loses control. If a viewer comes to the conclusion that Deckard is a replicant it could, by extension, be that Tyrell has been moving Deckard and Rachael to be his own Adam and Eve (as the first replicants with human memories). Tyrell seems unable to see his mistake and that he brought about his own death. He endowed the replicants with intelligence, super-human strength and the ability to develop human emotions and yet made the slaves to the ticking clock with only 4 years of life. He says, “The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long … and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy.” comparing his creations to stars, inanimate objects. Tyrell doesn’t see them as human and arrogantly assumes that they should be grateful for whatever life they have been given. He is an unsympathetic character.