I've seen this numerous times over the years, both the theatrical and the director's cut, and I'm aware of the ongoing argument over whether or not Deckerd is a Replicant. But last night I caught something for the first time, probably because I was paying more attention to EJO's character since he is, after all, the Mighty Adama. During the middle of the movie, Deckerd dreams of a unicorn. I can't remember if that was in the theatrical cut or not, but it's definitely in the DC. No big deal. But then, at the end when he's sneaking out with Rachel, the little Origami deal that EJO left him was a unicorn- that's the part I never noticed before. And Deckerd just nods as though confirming something he was beginning to suspect after EJO's shout of 'Who does?" not long before. I always leaned towards Deckerd being human, but now I'm not so sure. I guess it'll always be open to interpretation, but what is your opinion? Is Deckerd a human or a Replicant? And does it matter to the story? I've heard that Ridley Scott has said both, but I figured he was just stirring up controversy for when the DC came out on DVD- more $$$ and all that. Discuss.
I think there's supposed to be a definitive cut coming out at some point so that may answer some questions. Excellent film in any event.
I think that what Ridley Scott said was that in the original cut, Deckard is human, but in the DC, he's a replicant. However, ambiguity is kind of the point.
According to IMDB, Scott said in 2000 that Decker's a replicant, but Ford said earlier he and Scott had agreed he wasn't.
Can't say. It's one of those brilliant movies that put me to sleep within minutes. GODFATHER is another one of those - really really good but dead boring.
I didn't realize there was supposed to be any ambiguity about this. In the only cut I ever saw, there's the dream unicorn and then the paper unicorn, and that always very clearly spelled "Look! You're a machine!" to me.
Henry is right, in the book he's not a replicant. Other things are, but Deckard isn't. I honestly don't see what the movie gains from him being a replicant anyway, since all the others know what they are save Sean Young's character (who finds out anyway). Deckard is just a product of his fucked up world and dreams about imaginary animals because a good deal of the real ones we know today only exist in the imaginations of people in the future, which was one of the major themes of the book.
It doesn't make sense that Deckard is a replicant to me, given the backstory that's established by the film's dialog. Deckard had been doing the ol' Blade Runner thing for a good many years before the story begins but he exhibits none of the strengths or weaknesses of the Nexus Six replicants. So Deckard would have to be as advanced a model as Rachael, which doesn't compute since she's very recent. In my mind, the whole "Deckard-as-replicant" spin comes across as ambiguous because it is poorly executed. The ambiguity comes not from selective omissions by the filmmakers but from the contradictory nature of the evidence presented. Clues suggest Deckard is a replicant but facts state that he can't be. I love Blade Runner as a film, but I think it more than adequately explores the "what does it mean to be human" question through Deckard's relationship with Rachael. I suppose that's why I liked the theatrical version so much more. I hope any forthcoming version doesn't move the film more to the "Deckard is replicant" side unless there happens to be powerful, never-before-seen footage that supports the case better. Don't get me wrong; I like ambiguity done well. But contradiction I don't.
Good points. Particularly the second paragraph. Unless Deckerd was a Nexus-6 as recently produced as Rachel with false memories, that is. But if so, why is he so thoroughly pwned in physical confrontrations with the other Replicants? I think the story works better with him as a human.
I watched The Godfather Part II with a very pretty girl about a month ago... She and I both loved it.
The Tyrell Corporation's motto is "more human than human". Maybe the new replicants (Rick and Rachel) had normal human strength as well as normal human memories. It's a bit of a giveaway if you're built like Mr Bean but lift like Mr Universe. Another question, though, is "why bother"? Is it really worth the hassle to create Rick Deckard to chase the rest of them down? Were the human cops really that far out of their depths? If so, why not make him a little tougher/smarter/faster etc? Unless, of course, the whole thing was an experiment cooked up by Tyrell and Bryant was playing along. Mind you, then the deleted scene with Deckard visiting Holden doesn't make much sense, does it? My head hurts.
