O'Connell: Blade Runner (1982) Blog

The Hollywood interpretation of Rick Deckard we see in Blade Runner (1982) presents us with a gruff noir hero who appears vastly different from the original novel’s contemplative and alienated and main character, struggling to resolve mixed feelings about his way of life. In Blade Runner, Deckard is something of a loner. He is unmarried, lives alone, and does not appear to have permanent employment, whereas Rick in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is fully attached, living with his wife and receiving a salary from the police department. However, Iran is apathetic if not cold to him, and his position as a bounty hunter is extremely low ranking in the police department. Both characters are somewhat alienated, but the contrast of the latter’s inhospitable way of life is a better illustration of his growing despondency than the former’s simple lack of attachment.

The book’s Rick is nearly extremely interested in animals, and his lust for both the therapeutic compassion of animal husbandry as well as the social status brought about by the ownership of an organic animal is nearly obsessive, as he even carries his Sidney’s guide on his person at all times. His consumerist desire drives many of his actions, most notably his monetary compensation for the retirement of the Nexus 6 androids. The film version of Deckard makes no mention of animals, electric or organic, nor is any type of compensation for his mission mentioned explicitly. While it’s certainly probable that he does receive payment, the simple fact that it’s not mentioned nearly eliminates the idea as motivation for his actions.

While his love affair with Rachael is complex and fluctuating in the novel, with multiple intricacies and questions left open, Deckard’s relationship with her in the film is as clean-cut as a fairytale romance. While the novel’s Rick does confess love for Rachael at first, he’s also driven to anger and murderous desire to retire her when he learns that she was employed to sleep with many bounty hunters in effort to keep them from killing more androids. The same blurred line between killing a sentient being and retiring a piece of machinery is calling into question for Rick whether his affair is true unfaithfulness to his wife with another human, or inconsequential masturbation with a machine. The film has none of these questions to their relationship.

While it’s easy to pick out the ways in which the film has fallen short of the book’s complexity, Blade Runner retained the main character’s most obvious struggle. Pfeiffer’s synopsis of the original script states: “The plot would focus on Deckard’s increasing aversion to killing these superpowerful robots or replicants. [...] Deckard’s problem is in identifying the replicants and resisting the urge to treat them with the same compassion one might extend to a human being.” (Pfeiffer 120) Though much was omitted, the film adaptation portrays Deckard’s inner turmoil and questioning appropriately, which was certainly just as much of a focus in the novel as well.