This is topic Blade Runner is too subtle for me. in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
 
After my neighbors woke me up for the second time around 4 am with their screaming fight, I decided there was no point going back to sleep. I decided to watch Blade Runner (Director's Cut) which I've heard about but never seen before.

The back of the tape makes a big deal out of the question of Deckard's humanity. Now, I got the whole "who's more human" theme watching it. But why was Deckard's humanity in question? A guy left him an origami unicorn and a couple folks asked him if he'd taken his own test. That's it?

Honestly, if I hadn't read the box, I never would have asked myself the question. I'm not sure that counts as a real quandry. How about you guys? Did you ask yourselves the question before anyone told you you should?
 

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Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
 
I read the book first and the question of Deckard's humanity was better dealt with in it I think. I'd have to reread it and rewatch the movie before I sort everything in my head enough to answer this.
 

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Posted by anti_maven (Member # 9789) on :
 
The answer is that it *is* subtle. Nothing is handed to you on a plate.

Everything is ambiguous and that is the delight, for me at least, of the plot.

Deckard is hunting and killing the Replicants, because they are not human, but his actions could be described as inhuman. Who is right and who is wrong? There is just no black and white. The additional hints that Deckard may or may not be a Replicant too makes this just more delicious.

But I'm an über-fan, so don't listen me
 

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Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
 
Deckard's voice-over narration is cut from the Director's Cut. I think it spells out his human/replicant quandry better, IIRC. But lots of fans hate the voice-over. Personally, I can take or leave it--the VO, that is, Blade Runner is my favorite film. I so want the new version with the little briefcase. *sigh*
 

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Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
 
I guess if Deckard were a replicant, that would kind of be like the Sixth Sense. Or the other way around.
 

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Posted by neo-dragon (Member # 7168) on :
 
Both sides of the argument are explained here:
Deckard: replicant or human?

and here:
Is Deckard a Replicant?


As for asking myself the question, my brother watched Blade Runner before I did, and just before I sat down to watch it he said to me, "this movie left me with a question. I won't tell you what that question is, but we'll see if you have the same one after you've seen it." After I'd watched it, he said, "so, what's the question?" I hesitated for a moment because I didn't really consciously think about it during the movie, but then I said, "Was Deckard a replicant?" and we discussed it for a while without either of us really deciding one way or another.
 

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Posted by Achilles (Member # 7741) on :
 
In the novel, Decker did take the Voight Kampf test, and passed.
 

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Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
 
The director believes that Decker is a replicant. I think the idea is absurd, on the grounds that no one would go to the trouble of building an alcoholic replicant without much combat ability in order to catch other replicants.
 

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Posted by neo-dragon (Member # 7168) on :
 
Yeah, it was never really much of an issue in the novel, but the movie and the novel aren't all that similar.

quote:

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Originally posted by TomDavidson:
The director believes that Decker is a replicant. I think the idea is absurd, on the grounds that no one would go to the trouble of building an alcoholic replicant without much combat ability in order to catch other replicants.

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