Film Review: DANGEROUS DAYS: THE MAKING OF BLADE RUNNER (2007)

Director: Charles de Lauzirika
Running time: 120 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): N/A

Genre: Documentary
UK Release date: 3^rd December 2007

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 17^th June 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

From the second time I saw the film ‘Blade Runner’ I loved it. The first time was not so good for me, totally disjointed; the theatrical release was a big disappointment. Having now watched this ‘making of’ documentary, I can now appreciate just how that happened and how it evolved into the version(s) we know (and love) today. I should say, for the record, I saw a cut-down version of this documentary; just the 120 minutes as opposed to the full 214 minutes. I would like to see the full version at some point though.

The film tells the story of how the film got made via interviews with those involved and a lot of footage that was shot on set as it was in production. There is a surprisingly large amount of this footage; much more than I expected. The interviews are very revealing with Ridley Scott, Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Daryl Hannah, Joanna Cassidy, Sean Young and Edward James Olmos all taking centre stage. The people behind the scenes are also allowed their say, the likes of; Michael Deeley, Douglas Trumbull, Alan Ladd Jr., David Webb Peoples and Hampton Fancher all getting their say. The many trials and tribulations that went on behind the scenes make for an interesting and absorbing documentary. It helps that it is one of my all-time favourite films, but even so, an interesting piece nonetheless.

For fans of the film it’s a must-see; if you’re just interested in the process of filmmaking but not particularly a fan of this picture, I’m sure you will still find plenty here of interest. Many things are revealed that some may find quite shocking; for instance (SPOILER ALERT) the fact the Ridley Scott was in favour of the voice-over at the beginning of the theatrical cut. Harrison Ford, on the other hand, didn’t think it was necessary. Personally, I am very pleased that in later cuts it was dropped; I’m with Ford on this one! (SPOILER ALERT: END). Over all, an absorbing and quite revealing insight into the making of an iconic film… RECOMMENDED.

My score: 8.1/10

IMDb Score: 8.5/10 (based on 649 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1080585/

MetaScore: No Data: (Based on 0 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: No Reviews Yet (based on 0 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 34/100 ‘Want to See’ (based on 353 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dangerous-days-making-blade-runnerdangerous-days/

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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Harrison Ford: It was a bitch.

Ridley Scott: My weapon was that camera. If you're there with me, great. If you're not there with me, too bad.

Hampton Fancher: [about the unicorn dream sequence] And my interpretation had nothing to with 'oh, that shows that Deckard's a replicant'. I don't think anything should show that Deckard's a replicant. If you think that, you're already wrong.

LINKS:
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Trailer: