But it's almost like an art movie, the first science-fiction art film… It's a futuristic film beautifully put together… It's really impeccably made by one of the great visionary directors… And you really saw a future that looked very different from the future you had seen before… A future that looked very believable like the visual-effects shots of the flying car going over a futuristic city… The fight sequence doesn't prepare you for the traumatic emotional side that there is in the film, it leaves you sort of broken…

There is a beautiful, delicate emotional great scene that I remember when I first saw the movie… I'm in the theater and I'm so drawn in what Rutger Hauer's doing… I'm so drawn in by what the theme of the movie has brought us to… The magnificent moment where he is letting go of life… And in those last moments of letting go of life he's really learned to appreciate life to the point where he spares Deckard's life, and where he's even holding a white dove because he just wants to have something that's alive in his hands… It's an amazing sort of crescendo that's going and there's Rutger saying: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. All these moments will be lost in time like tears in rain." Hauer puts all the things that are so amazing about people: sense of poetry, sense of humor, sense of sexuality, sense of the kid, sense of soul…

Scott brought out the best qualities in his performers… He coaxed and very gently manipulated performances from his actors that in some instances I think they've rarely topped… You feel the story, you feel the emotions of the characters and you will be lost in the middle of this wild world, you know, it's so rich and it's painful… I mean it's a very bluesy, dark story and told very compassionately…

The overpopulation, the sort of crowd scenes is so rich and varied and there's such an extreme detail designing the magazine covers, designing the look of the punks, the Hare Krishnas, the biological salesman, everything is designed… You have just Piccadilly Circus punks walking by… You have a sense of layers in that society… That is one of those things that you see again and again… The city landscape with the big billboards à la Kyoto or Tokyo… Scott was able to create the look based on what goes on in various cities all over the world… Whether it is Tokyo, Kyoto or Beijing or Hong Kong or whatever, you're right in "Blade Runner" country…

"Blade Runner," to me, embodies the elegance, the power, and the uniqueness of a film experience… It's the most classical, beautiful, purest movie-making writing and then the film-making itself is… The images and the sound and the music, it's pure cinema… Ridley came out with an amazing, brilliantly executed future of an absolute dystopia… The intensity of his perfectionism on "Blade Runner" made the movie… This is a master at his best

This atypical science fiction flick engages the brain instead of the senses, resulting in a film which feels more like an art-house experience than your typical Hollywood money maker. Seeing it as a kid, I hated it, expecting another STAR WARS. Instead what I got was a dark, gritty and downbeat film noir with little action to recommend it and a rather slow storyline. Now, as an adult, having seen the director's cut, I can confirm that this is truly a great movie with plenty of subtexts, strong themes and surprising plot twists to keep you watching through the slow spots. Visually the film is a treat, with Ridley Scott continuing his dank vision of the future from ALIEN and transporting it from space to Earth. The special effects are great, but the best thing of all is that the film isn't trashy. Scott doesn't let technology distract us from the strong detective storyline, doesn't stage any flashy laser gun battles or flying chases.

The (short) action sequences are dark and dirty with an emphasis on realism. Fighters bleed here, and copiously. The chase through the house at the end of the film is great stuff and the film doesn't skimp on violence either. Harrison Ford, our hero, shoots fleeing women in the back and is nearly killed on numerous instances until chance saves him. This isn't a thrill-a-minute shoot-em-up at all. In fact it's quite different and difficult to describe, feeling strangely old-fashioned despite the futuristic setting and premise. The script is fantastic and there are moments of true poetry to enjoy – especially Rutger Hauer's death scene at the end of the film which is one of the landmarks of cinema. Ford is grungy and miserable as the investigating "blade runner" and somehow his world-weary performance fits the bill nicely. The supporting cast of androids is fantastic – Hauer is at his prime, Sean Young is heartbreaking, Daryl Hannah mischievously evil, Brion James is a brutal thug, Joanna Cassidy just plain weird.

There are plenty of other nicely subtle performances here too. William Sanderson (FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE) as weird toy maker and geneticist J.F. Sebastien is memorably odd and Edward James Olmos is a mysterious cop who seems to know everything. Add in plenty of supporting regulars, tons of atmosphere and suspense and the unpredictable, original narrative, plus the original storyline from sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick, and you have a great slice of celluloid drama.

I admit right up front that I am perplexed by this film and my review will no doubt annoy a lot of fans of this film. Let's face it, "Blade Runner" is a cult film--and those who like it usually don't just like it--they adore it. I've known several people who insist rather rabidly that it's one of the greatest films of all time. And, when I tell them that I don't particularly like the film, they are confused---'how could anyone not love the film?' often say. In one case, the film lover insisted that I borrow his Director's Cut (one of about 17 different Director's Cuts or Special Editions, I think) because I must have been mistaken. Well, after my second viewing, I did enjoy and appreciate the film a bit more. But I still didn't get the devotion to this film it often receives.

Here is what I liked and didn't like about the film. It had great sets and was VERY other-worldly. While I think the print was a bit too dark, I understand this was done to fit the very dark mood of the film. However, I just felt the film was too dark--oppressively dark...even sadistically dark (such as the eye gouging scene). It completely depressed me--so much so that I found I just didn't like or care about anyone. And, to top it off, the film ended very badly. The director's original ending (where you learn that Harrison Ford's character is also a replicant) would have been so much better. So, this is one case where the Director's Cut is definitely better, as this original ending has been restored. Overall, the film looks impressive and is original--but these alone were not enough for me to give it a glowing endorsement. It's good but that is all.