Steve Moyle’s review published on Letterboxd:
So if you didn't know this Sci-fi/Neo-noir was written for the screen by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples and was based on the novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K Dick. It's set in Los Angeles in the year 2019 with some of the best visuals in cinemas history giving us a unique dark and atmospheric, immersive and in my eyes realistic depiction and view of a dystopian future designed by Ridley Scott and his team. It follows the story of Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) who is a Blade Runner (which is a cop with the specialty of killing Replicant's, artificially created humans). He had since retired however after hearing the news of six escaping Replicant's from an off-world colony (Nexus 6 created by Tyrell corporation) he is very much forced to re-enter.
These Replicant's if you hadn't figured are indeed illegal and must be terminated as soon as they are detected, they have a four year life span. Deckard begins falling for a beautiful woman named Rachel(Sean Young) who is the latest edition of the Replicant's. Their memories are implants, Rachel is so convinced she is human and it makes her such a fascinating character, especially with the way her and Deckard begin to connect to each other.
This is the best performance Harrison Ford has ever given, he completely dominated the screen and has that screen-presence about him that I can't think of one actor (even those that are better) that would have suited the role more. He's not as fun as Han Solo or Indiana Jones as It's a different approach from Star Wars and Indiana Jones which audiences maybe weren't ready for. He plays a more calm character who is lost in the world around him where technology rules and it's hard to tell humans from Replicant's, as a character he's always complex and interesting.
Rutger Hauer was the perfect choice for the lead member of The nexus six, he is clearly the most intelligent as he just wants to live and feel more and is so convincing in his approach. There are many sides to Batty and he is the most emotional character in the film. He stole every scene he was in and gave one of the most memorable performances I've seen in a Sci-Fi film.
Besides Ford, Young and Hauer who play the characters which are perhaps focused on most, the whole cast truly did a flawless job. Character actors Edward James Olmos,M.Emmet Walsh,Daryl Hannah,Joel Turkel and William Sanderson were all absolutely fantastic too, I'm not even kidding but I could go on praising everyone in good detail but who really likes ridiculously long reviews. There is attention to detail here, Scott and the cinematographer (Jordan Cronenweth) captured this futuristic world perfectly.
The small details like the way the eyes of the androids are lit to the many props that we continue to see that continue to make us think, there is never a moment you can afford to look away and from repeat viewings there always seems to be things I see for the first time. I'm always put in a trance every time I see it, it's so beautiful even when dark as it is with it's look and mood.
The soundtrack conducted by Vangelis is one of the best I've ever heard, it was carefully constructed in order to stand-out used in the exact correct moments, it was hypnotic and emotionally touching. I especially love the scene when Rick and Rachel first kiss, there is a lot of tension in that scene and the music helps us feel it even more then we would have other wise. As the film fades to black the change to fast paced conducted music really works perfectly too, especially when we have just had one of the greatest finales ever.
There isn't even much else to say about the film but it's just one you can't miss and if you haven't seen it i'd say go straight for "The Final Cut" which is the one Scott himself said did the once miss understood film the most justice. As for the themes and symbolism carrying meaning let me just say that it's a movie that asks several questions and all the dialogue is so poetic with so many lines that are truly mesmerizing.
As far as the whole Deckard might be an android scenario goes, Seriously it isn't the most important part of the film. It's saying a lot about the human race (Destruction, technology taking over, you know relevant things). Andriods displaying deep emotions and seeming as or even more human then humans in the end. What does it really mean to be human and can we really define it?.
