What makes a human being human? This question forms the kernel of
Scott's most perfectly realised picture. The LA cityscapes (still the
most impressive vision of urban dystopia in post-war cinema) are a
breathtaking achievement; but its provenance (loosely adapted from
Philip K Dick, one of sci-fi's most dynamic thinkers) makes it,
uniquely for Scott, a fascinating philosophical one too. The
Director's Cut clarifies the suggestion that Deckard may be a
replicant himself, giving more point to the paradoxes throughout - the
machines as 'more human than human', feeling more pain, loss and sense
of mortality. Complex, purposefully oppressive, and unforgettable.
