Logging

Film: Blade Runner, director cut    

Every time I see this film, I feel like I'm watching something different. How many cuts are there? I'm watching scenes I don't ever remember seeing here and there. Is it my memory? Or on every new DVD release, are they issuing somewhat new versions of the movie? The strengths of the film are the first act and finale (in the directors cut), but the movie does slow down in the middle section and maybe explains - at least partially - the cold reception to the film initially. But god, that first act, the whole time I'm watching and just thinking to myself - how did they do that? How did they build that? Etc, etc. I don't often have a similar feeling watching big-budget films today - like Marvel, etc. It's because the world feels physically built and the actors are actually moving through the spaces. Some other things:

-Spare dialogue. Has any character felt more substantial with less dialogue than Edward James Olmos in this film? Most of his actual lines are unintelligible until his famous "It's too bad she won't live, but then again, who does?"

-Good plot strategy for "the hunt" where Deckard hunts Replicants while the Replicants are searching for more life. 

-The non-critical casting in this film is just...chef's kiss...M. Emmitt Walsh, William Sanderson, Brion James, James Hong

-Less is more. "If you're not police, you're little people." What does this line mean? Is this a threat? Does M Emmitt Walsh mean to say Deckard will be killed if he doesn't take the job? Not sure we are meant to know. I love it. 

-This time around I have to admit I felt like Rutger Hauer was chewing a bit of scenery. Probably blasphemous to say. Whatever. 

-One of the huge benefits of noir (and this is a tech-noir) is how you can get away with quite a bit of murkiness in both plot, character reasoning and motivation, and meaning. One of the dangers is you can't go to this well too much. But noir dances with the mysteries of the subconscious and human nature and thus some of the lack of clarity actually ends up adding to the atmosphere and mood of these films.