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I was one of the skinjobs who had Blade Runner at number five on my list. On different days in different moods it could be even higher. It is absolutely one of my all-time favorites. I was twelve when the movie was released. It was R-rated and obviously not the further adventures of Han Solo, but from the poster alone I was intrigued. My Dad took me to see it. The year before he had started taking me to R-rated genre movies. Outland and Stripes may have been the first. Conan the Barbarian was certainly memorable. He wouldn't take me to see the likes of Apocalypse Now or Body Heat, but if it was Sci-Fi or Action or Comedy, sure! As overwhelming a visual and auditory experience as Blade Runner is to a first time viewer, especially in 1982 before its countless imitators and descendants, there on the big screen to my forming noggin I felt almost like Alex in A Clockwork Orange. You know, but in a good way. The narrative was mostly impenetrable, as Pauline Kael sniped in her review it is a movie full of subtext with almost no text. But good lord it is stunning.

Blade Runner did not become an instant favorite the way Raiders of the Lost Ark had. Infamously both it and Carpenter's The Thing were released the fourth week of June in the U.S., two weeks after E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and three weeks after Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Culturally of course E.T. was a massive, record-breaking blockbuster and generally Sci-Fi financed by Hollywood moved away from contemplative, dark R-rated fare full of spectacle like Blade Runner and toward family-friendly adventure tales. But Blade Runner stayed with my growing consciousness and when it made its way to cable and VHS I started watching it again and again, drawn at first by the dense world building, Vangelis' dreamlike score, and Harrison Ford hero worship, but as I kept exploring it and as I grew older I simply couldn't shake it. By the time the Director's Cut was re-released in the early '90s it flipped from that insane flick I somehow enjoyed to this Sci-Fi masterpiece I was insane for.

Between the original cut, the Director's Cut, and the eventual Final Cut I have seen Blade Runner over twenty times, theatrically. I have seen it countless times on VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, and BluRay. I have read books devoted to the film, I have seen every documentary and featurette. Blade Runner has been implanted into my memory slowly and repeatedly for nearly forty years.

So yeah...it was on my ballot. That makes eleven of mine with two more coming in these Top Six.

HOLDEN'S LIST
1. Chinatown (#17)
2. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (#12)
3. Lawrence of Arabia (#15)
5. Blade Runner (#7)
8. Once Upon a Time in the West (#31)
10. Singin’ in the Rain (#64)
11. After Hours (DNP)
12. Miller's Crossing (DNP)
13. La La Land (DNP)
14. Amélie (DNP)
15. North by Northwest (#57)
16. Young Frankenstein (#77)
17. The Social Network (DNP)
18. In a Lonely Place (DNP)
19. Brazil (#100)
20. His Girl Friday (DNP)
21. The Long Goodbye (DNP)
22. Rushmore (DNP)
23. Unforgiven (#43)
24. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (#33)
25. The Princess Bride (DNP)
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Blade Runner was my #5, I love that film! I seen it first run at the theater and then kept going back and watching it over and over for $1 as a matinee showing. Not much else to do in my town


Blade Runner (1982)

Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: Hampton Fancher, David Peoples
Cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah,William Sanderson, Brion James, Joanna Cassidy, Joe Turkel, M.Emmet Walsh

Genre: Sci-Fi Noir
Length: 117 minutes

Premise: In the polluted, over crowded, rundown city that's Los Angles of the future...a retired Blade Runner is forced back onto the job to hunt down and terminate six replicants who have illegally returned to Earth. The renegade replicants are Nexus 6 models with enhanced strength, agility and speed. After killing 23 people on an off-world colony, they flee to Earth in a stolen space shuttle. They seek to stop their biological clocks from running out. With only a four year life span, their time is short. Replicants are illegal on Earth and so special Blade Runner cops terminate them on sight.

Review: I seen Blade Runner when it first came out in 1982 at my local theater. It played as a matinee for the longest time and I watched the film many times on the big silver screen. Star Wars was still the big rage in sci-fi back in '82. But when Blade Runner came out, it was like nothing I'd seen before. It was so rich visually in details that I felt like I was looking into the not so distant future.

Since Blade Runner first came out, director Ridley Scott has released different cuts/versions of the film. My review is on Blade Runner in general, not on any specific cut. Though myself I prefer the original Theatrical Cut with the noir style voice over narrative and the rising morning sun ending a long dark night.

Blade Runner has always been my favorite sci-fi film every since 1982. I would call it the greatest sci-fi ever made. To me it's a classic, right up there with Lawrence of Arabia and Casablanca.

I really have to thank Ridley Scott for being the driving force behind this movie. Ridley was handed many different scripts and demanded constant rewrites. Each time the script was reworked it got better and more detailed. A very early draft of Blade Runner had almost all the scenes taking place inside a couple of apartment rooms. Ridley told the writer, 'I want to know what's going on outside the window.' He wanted to know how this Blade Runner future looked down the street and in the buildings...he wanted details! Luckily for us Ridley changed writers and got what he wanted: a richly multi layered futuristic world, with everything from architectural design to social logical conditions included in the film. Ridley took his vision and set that to a story line reminiscent of the classic 1940s film noir detective films.

One of the amazing things of this movie is just how much detail in the art direction Ridley packs into each scene. The film went over budget and over schedule as more and more details were added to the buildings and sets. For the viewer this is a very good thing.

Blade Runner is atmosphere! The exterior shots are done at night with lots of smoke and rain. This achieves two things: It gives a dark, dismal feel to the film, showing us a future that is polluted, over crowded and run down. Plus the night shooting with smoke and rain covers the background of the sets making them look much more real, giving a three dimensional quality. Had it been shot in sunlight the set would not have nearly looked as good.

Ridley Scott painstakingly choose each of the actors. Each of them deserve their own write up as all are exceptional good in the film and just as important they're brilliantly cast.



Deckard pulls his gun on a replicant as the never ending rain falls.

Harrison Ford,
Could Deckard be played by anyone other than Ford? Harrison plays this as a burnt out Blade Runner who's growing callous to the brutally of retiring replicants. He's jaded and he just doesn't care anymore. Harrison could have played this as an ultra tough guy, but then he doesn't risk much by engaging the replicants that way. Instead he plays the role with a physical vulnerability. When he encounters a replicant he's in real danger as he can easily be hurt. He's no match for their enhanced strength. Ford isn't hesitant to show that he has a fear of dying. Deckard can look scared and this makes Deckard a fully realized character.


Rachael in the Tyrell building, the composition is set up like an art photo. The lighting is a rich golden monotone.

Sean Young
, This was Sean's first big role in a major film. Some have said she wasn't the best choice. She was inexperienced. Even the casting agent wanted someone else. Ridley took one look at her and said, 'that is Rachael'. Sean Young does seem a bit nervous and uneasy at times...and that's perfect! She is after all a replicant, with implanted memories and she has just learned that she's not human. So her uneasiness is a perfect fit...She certainly looks the part of a femme fatale with her mid 1940s fashions. From the rolled bun hairdo and heavy black eye liner and red lipstick, to her 40's style dress, complete with big shoulder pads.



In one of the most iconic scenes Roy holds a Dove, moments before speaking the moving 'Tears in the Rain' line.

Rutger Hauer
, Roy Batty, what a great choice for the main antagonist. He's smart, cunning, ruthless and yet fragile because he values life. Rutger really packs the charisma into his role. He plays it so richly that we feel for him while we are being repulsed by him at the same time. Most importantly we can understand his pain of having only a few more days left to live.



Gaff, a man of mystery who seems to hold the answers, appears in the shadowy rain.

Edward James Olmos
as Gaff, he doesn't have a big role but it's pivotal. Gaff at times seems to be a mentor to Deckard, other times he seems to be an antagonist. His presences puts Deckard into potential peril. Olmos invited his own street lingo language for the film and spent a lot of time on his characterization and it pays off well.



Beleaguered and scared Pris seeks safe shelter from the cold night.

Daryl Hannah
as Pris, Hannah's wild but fragile character makes us want to give her a warm meal and a place out of the rain. She's needy and alone. She helps us to understand the replicants are 'more than just play things'. We begin to believe that their lives have value too and that perhaps 'retiring' them is wrong. Daryl Hannah does a great job at getting us to care for her the replicant cause.



The replicant Leon takes the Voight-Kampff test to determine if he's human or replicant

Brion James
another great casting choice for the strong but not to smart, Leon Kowalski, He might not have many lines but the lines he speaks are stuff of legends:

Leon: How old am I?

Deckard: [after slugging Leon, to no effect] I dunno

Leon: My birthday is April 10, 2017. How long do I live?

Deckard: Four years.

Leon: More than you! Painful to live in fear, isn't it?



Zhora as seen in a discarded photo discovered by Deckard

Joanna Cassidy
as Zhora, a smaller role but non the less important. Joanna plays Zhora she's tough and unsentimental, which fits her role as a replicant designed for off world assassinations. Her 'retirement' is one of the more coldly brutal scenes shown on the screen.



High in his castle The Tyrell building, Dr Tyrell is waken from sleep

Joe Turkel
as Dr. Eldon Tyrell, he's rather odd looking with that long thin face and those giant glasses. He seems as cold and dispatched as a human could be. His 'father-son' scene with Batty tells us something of this enigmatic man.



J.F. snoozes in his apartment in the old Bradford Building

Willam Sanderson
as J.F. Sebastain, if Dr Tyrell is as cold as ice, then J.F. Is the most caring of the humans. Thanks to the actor we instantly like J.F. We can also relate to him, he's a regular guy who hasn't made the grade. Instead he's stuck in a leaky building on Earth. He's lonely but not sad, he construct friends to keep him company. It's his humanity that ultimately allows Batty to meet his maker Dr Tyrell.


Blade Runner explores what it means to be human and what it means to have compassion for others and what it means to lack that compassion. It does this in a subtle way as the film progresses with Deckard coming out of retirement to hunt down and kill a group of escape replicants. The details that are included in Blade Runner are just amazing, but it's the story arc and the exploration of what humanity is that makes this great.

Rating:



Citizen Kane is a masterpiece of cinema and deserves it's place in the top 10. It would have made my list if I were choosing the most important films of all time but I chose my picks based more upon films that I have a strong emotional attachment to. Kane is exceptional but it's not a film I particularly "love."


Apocalypse Now on the other hand is a film I love. An epic, chaotic, unique visual masterpiece. A journey into the madness, suffering and "the horror" of war and humanity when pushed to the edge. Great performances, powerful direction, an unforgettable movie experience.



Raiders is one of those films that I thoroughly enjoy but not nearly as much as some people. It's a super entertaining and iconic movie but lacks the weight and depth to be in the top 10 for me.



Blade Runner is another film I love but wouldn't rank it this high.



Blade Runner was my #7. As a big fan of Philip K. Dick I appreciate his obsessive exploration of themes such as "What does it mean to be human" and "What is reality," and Blade Runner takes these themes, strips away much of PKD's pulpiness, adds a heaping of noir, and amazing visuals, and this is a movie I love returning to time and again.

My List:
1. Unforgiven (#43)
3. North by Northwest (#57)
4. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (#23)
6. Taxi Driver (#14)
7. Blade Runner (#7)
10. A Clockwork Orange (#32)
15. Metropolis (#73)
21. Enter the Dragon (#97)
24. There Will Be Blood (#60)
25. Persona (#45)
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I watched Blade Runner for the first time one week before Blade Runner 2049 got released. I liked it. Felt the pain in Tears in Rain bit. But then I watched Blade Runner 2049 in the theatre, and I loved that so much that I watched it multiple times in the theatre after that. Since then, I have watched it countless times in my home. Sometimes I just go online on YouTube and watch scenes from the movie (the bit where K says "Wanna go for a ride" and the track 'Mesa' kicks in is my absolute favourite). In between, I also read Do Androids dream of electric sheep, which I would recommend highly.


For me Blade Runner is a good movie, but Blade Runner 2049 is close to perfection. For my list I decided to go with only one, and that was the sequel. Not surprised that the original made the list. Still, I honestly believed that the sequel would have at least made it in the 100.



A wise man around these parts once said he didn't understand why people thought their sleeping habits had anything to do with the quality of a film. I concur.
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Guesses on next movie for tomorrow??

I say either Departed or Pulp Fiction
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It's been a while since I've seen Blade Runner, so I'll have to watch it again to say anything substantial on it. I remember having a couple issues with it, but I suspect I'd like it much more if I were to rewatch it.
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Guesses on next movie for tomorrow??

I say either Departed or Pulp Fiction
Either Casablanca or Jaws. I lean towards the former.
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Re-re-redoing the order of the remaining six!

6. Pulp Fiction
5. Casablanca
4. GoodFellas
3. Jaws
2. 2001:A Space Odyssey
1. The Godfather



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
How many people are going to be re-doing their order after every reveal?
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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Blade Runner is a great movie, but it's bit too dark for me, so it didn't make my list. However, I'm one of the few people who likes the original theatrical ending because it's a happier ending.

Out of curiosity, (especially those of you who had it on your lists), which version of Blade Runner is your favorite version?
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28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
Also, Blade Runner was not on my list. Great visuals, but I couldn't help but be a little bored by it. I do need to revisit it though (a common theme for me I think) to see if I still feel that way.



Blade Runner is a great movie, but it's bit too dark for me, so it didn't make my list. However, I'm one of the few people who likes the original theatrical ending because it's a happier ending.

Out of curiosity, (especially those of you who had it on your lists), which version of Blade Runner is your favorite version?
I prefer the original, theatrical version with the narration by Ford, which to me, only adds to the noir feeling of the movie. I really love film-noir and to take out the narration was a bad move IMHO. But Ridley had the right to do as he pleased, I guess.

I've seen it several times, including once at the cinema on its initial release. Yet, it's not one of my favorite movies, so therefore not on my list. Still, it's a great film that deserves its placing here.

19. The Searchers #97
1. To Kill a Mockingbird #85
25. Die Hard #63
14. Rear Window #40
8. It's a Wonderful Life #38
2. Aliens #37
13. The Wizard of Oz #36
9. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back #30
3. Lawrence of Arabia #15
11. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring #11 (same as the list proper)
23, Apocalypse Now #9
10. Raiders of the Lost Ark #8
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Wow Blade Runner is held in higher regard than I thought. I gotta say though. I think the 2nd one is superior. It's an extremely rare feat that a sequel is better than the first...but I think it's an even rarer instance where the sequel actually improves the original movie and the first one was already great. It adds layers to the first one. Not to mention the 2nd one is one of the most beautiful visual pieces of art not just movies I've ever seen. It's an eyegasm.
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Ehh, I liked 2049 well enough to see it twice during its theatrical run but I haven't seen it since and part of me is thinking it won't hold up that well because it streamlines the original instead of expanding upon it. Maybe I'll get around to doing that later this week.

A wise man around these parts once said he didn't understand why people thought their sleeping habits had anything to do with the quality of a film. I concur.
Pretty much. I've managed to stay awake through every movie I've ever hated and, on the rare occasion where I do find myself nodding off during a movie, I just think it's because I'm really, really tired in that moment.
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