Scott Always On The Cutting Edge

Mon., Oct. 2, 2000

Dave Rinehart, Ferris

“Blade Runner” (1982) Rated R

Director Ridley Scott has a talent for set design. As seen in “Alien” 20 years ago and his recent masterpiece, “Gladiator,” his visual scenery is nothing short of mesmerizing, whether it’s a dark, creepy spaceship or the lively Roman Coliseum.

“Blade Runner” is certainly no exception, with jaw-dropping special effects and sweeping film style. Although it was made nearly two decades ago, “Blade Runner” remains a visual spectacle, retaining the cinematic flair that makes it a modern masterpiece.

Harrison Ford is Rick Deckard, a Blade Runner in 2019 Los Angeles. A Blade Runner’s job is to dispose of Replicants: robots identical to humans physically but having only a four-year life span. A small renegade group of Replicants has escaped slavery on a foreign planet and arrived on Earth in hopes of learning how to cheat death. Deckard is called in to dispose of them. At the same time, he has to deal with the moral dilemma of falling in love with a woman Replicant.

It is difficult to believe that the dark, seedy atmosphere of futuristic Los Angeles could be gorgeous. But Scott creates settings that deftly combine pure science fiction with a stroke of film noir (the constantly dark and rainy setting, the detective, the dame, and a less-than-hopeful ending). It is a creative masterwork on the director’s part to combine these two otherwise dissimilar elements that make for such an exciting viewing experience.

“Blade Runner” is dense with talent on all levels, and a must-see for any lover of quality film.

Grade: A

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