Blade Runner: The Final Cut

I don’t know why he saved my life. Maybe in those last moments he loved life more than he ever had before. Not just his life, anybody’s life, my life. All he’d wanted were the same answers the rest of us want. Where did I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got? All I could do was sit there and watch him die.

Blade Runner: The Final Cut, is hopefully just that. The movie has more versions at this point than the software used to edit it. I bought the Blu-ray disc and was astounded at the quality of the picture. It’s an absolutely fantastic job; everything looks crisp and beautiful. Some continuity problems have been resolved, and certain scenes trimmed or expanded.

But of course, I’ve seen all three versions of it, as well as read the book (which is way better), so it’s impossible to see it with fresh eyes. The voiceover is still missing in action, which is perhaps for the best¹, but would the movie make sense to anyone who hasn’t seen it? Does it matter? Blade Runner has had a growing audience since day one, and has been interpreted and analyzed for 25 years. I adore the movie, despite its flaws. And since cinema is a visual medium, I can overlook plot deficiencies for such sumptuous visuals. But it isn’t as profound as it would like to be, nor does it really matter.

Blade Runner imagines a future that looks increasingly realistic by the year. It deals superficially with what it is to be human. Ultimately, it is a triumph of production design, if not the nature of humanity. The is/isn’t he has become less ambiguous with each version, but since the seeds were there from the very first version, I believe it when Scott says he always reckoned Deckard was a replicant. (This is mentioned in the book about the production – Harrison Ford wanted deckard to stay human)

Like I said, some flaws are at this point, others not. Exactly why the Voight-Kampff test had to be administered when they had mug shots to begin with is still a mystery. But what the hell. Rutger Hauer’s final speech is either moving or ridiculously bathetic. I have felt bot ways about it, but it does fit in there. It’s nevertheless one of Hauer’s finest roles. Ford is pitch perfect; light years away from Han Solo, but still rocking the same cynical charm. If you haven’t seen it, do so.

¹ Some lines, however, like quote on top, are missed. Call me sentimental.