Other movies in my Top Ten list come and go but Blade Runner -- Director's Cut or original -- still remains. The older I become, and the more I lose youthful idealism and hope, the more the movie means to me. Ridley Scott has gone on to create many more fantastic movies, but this one will set the standard for all attempts at science fiction noir.

Harrison Fords stars as a tired, rugged agent assigned to find and destroy four replicants (androids) gone astray...who are trying to find their creator so that they will not "die" upon their programmed expiration date. Of these replicants, the very physicality of them is beautifully expressed -- whether it is Rutger Hauer running across rooftops as their ringleader and fighting Ford to the death, or Darryl Hannah as his beautiful ally/girlfriend. Hannah conveys an appealing vulnerability to ensnare a lonely toy maker who can lead them to the creator of this particular android model, and thus -- they hope -- give them what the humans all so freely have. (Note: I have always wanted to "spraypaint" a black line across my eyes like Hannah's character for Halloween -- I suppose I should do this before I grow much older. But what if someone asks me to do perfect back handsprings all in a row? Never mind.)

These scenes with the toy maker are shot in the Lewis Bradbury building in downtown Los Angeles. I just visited it for the first time, and it is exquisite architecture...but really looks different without the moody lighting, steam and chaotic street scene of the movie. The building, built in 1893 for the astonishing sum of $500,000 at the time, is very pretty, but a testament to Ridley Scott's genius that he could transform it thus. For all diehard fans -- do visit if you are in LA -- it is free.

Trying to solve this assignment, Ford's detective meets with the rich creator of this brand of replicants. Sean Young, as the creator's daughter, plays a beautiful cold woman whom Ford quite understandably falls for. She has a secret that, when discovered by Ford, will change her entire perspective, goals and future. Their love story is the center of the film and brings what little happiness there is in a crowded, noisy and violent world. This is what I have felt back when I was poor and living with my husband in an old but scary building called Las Fuentes in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles over ten years ago. There we would find beauty and happiness in very small slices at a time -- even without the perfect costumes, sets, makeup, lighting and music that make up this masterpiece of a movie.

See it -- even if you don't like science fiction, even if you don't like noir. There is real emotion and thrill in this work of art. Moreover, you will finally be able to say, when confronted with noisy television screens and intrusive advertising and noise and just too many damn people and vehicles, that..."this is just like Blade Runner." It is worth it just for that.

Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older