'I've seen things you people wouldn't believe ...'
Let's start off by noting there are seven versions of Blade Runner. The original appeared in 1982. Details are here. I prefer the 1992 Director’s Cut. This removed the godawful voiceover and introduced the unicorn scene. Aficionados will understand that the unicorn scene is crucial.
The plot is straightforward. Deckard is a retired cop, but a cop with a unique role. He tracks down and terminates bioengineered replicants who only have a four-year lifespan. A group of off-world replicants return to Earth intent on extending their existence. Led by the charismatic and forceful Roy Batty they set about finding their creator. Meanwhile, Deckard is coerced out of retirement. He is to find and 'retire' the wayward replicants. Along the way, Deckard meets their creator and Rachael. She's a new prototype replicant, who doesn't know she's not human. Deckard falls for her.
Eliminated one by one the replicants are 'retired'. In the closing scene, Deckard confronts Roy for a final showdown on a rooftop. But Roy saves Deckard from a fall. This display of humanity is baffling. Then Roy delivers a final statement of Shakespearean proportions;
The plot is straightforward. Deckard is a retired cop, but a cop with a unique role. He tracks down and terminates bioengineered replicants who only have a four-year lifespan. A group of off-world replicants return to Earth intent on extending their existence. Led by the charismatic and forceful Roy Batty they set about finding their creator. Meanwhile, Deckard is coerced out of retirement. He is to find and 'retire' the wayward replicants. Along the way, Deckard meets their creator and Rachael. She's a new prototype replicant, who doesn't know she's not human. Deckard falls for her.
Eliminated one by one the replicants are 'retired'. In the closing scene, Deckard confronts Roy for a final showdown on a rooftop. But Roy saves Deckard from a fall. This display of humanity is baffling. Then Roy delivers a final statement of Shakespearean proportions;
“I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.”
The twist in the tail, and this is open to interpretation, is that Deckard is a replicant. He dreams of the unicorn. Gaff, another cop, leaves an origami unicorn in Deckard’s apartment. This implies to some that Gaff has accessed Deckard's implanted memories. Having said that, the whole thing is subject to how you see it. And that’s was makes it fascinating.
With textured cityscapes reminiscent of the Kowloon Walled City the setting is stunning. Cracking action sequences, tempered by pathos, as the replicants seek survival, add to the tension. And the ending is ambiguous.