Blade Runner (1982) Blade Runner
A science fiction noir directed by Ridley Scott, starring Harrison Ford as a reluctant detective hunting bioengineered fugitives through a rain-soaked 2019 Los Angeles. Adapted from Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the film was misunderstood on release, underperformed commercially against E.T. and Star Trek II, and spent two decades rebuilding itself through home video, academic study, and three re-edits before Ridley Scott's 2007 Final Cut established it as one of the defining works of science fiction cinema.
"Misunderstood when it first hit theaters, the influence of Ridley Scott's mysterious, neo-noir Blade Runner has deepened with time. A visually remarkable, achingly human sci-fi masterpiece." — Rotten Tomatoes Critical Consensus, Rotten Tomatoes
Quick Facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Director | Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) |
| Screenplay | Hampton Fancher & David Peoples |
| Source | Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick |
| Stars | Harrison Ford (Blade Runner), Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Daryl Hannah, Edward James Olmos |
| Composer | Vangelis |
| Cinematographer | Jordan Cronenweth, ASC |
| Production Designer | Lawrence G. Paull |
| Visual Futurist | Syd Mead |
| Special Effects | Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich |
| Production Companies | The Ladd Company, Shaw Brothers, Tandem Productions |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. |
| Budget | $28-30 million |
| Box Office | $41.8 million |
| Release Date | June 25, 1982 |
| Running Time | 117 minutes (Final Cut) |
| MPAA Rating | R |
| Filmed In | Los Angeles — Bradbury Building, Warner Bros. backlot, Ennis-Brown House, 2nd Street Tunnel |
Key Pages
- Plot Summary (Blade Runner)
- Backbeats (Blade Runner)
- Cast and Characters (Blade Runner)
- Themes and Analysis (Blade Runner)
- Critical Reception and Legacy (Blade Runner)
- Production History (Blade Runner)
- Physical Media Releases (Blade Runner)
Genre Context
After Star Wars rewired science fiction toward adventure and spectacle, Blade Runner went the other direction — into darkness, rain, moral ambiguity, and a question the genre had been circling since Mary Shelley: does the made thing have a soul? The answer the film gives is not philosophical but dramatic. Roy Batty, the replicant who should be the villain, saves the hero's life and delivers the film's most human moment. The detective who hunts replicants for a living may be one himself. The woman he falls in love with may have only four years to live.
"One of those cinematic drugs, that when I first saw it, I never saw the world the same way again." — Guillermo del Toro, Cinephilia & Beyond
"Blade Runner is a stunningly interesting visual achievement, but a failure as a story." — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (1982)
Ebert later reversed course, adding the Final Cut to his Great Movies list — one of the rare second reviews in his career. (cbr)