If there’s a movie you can go back to over and over and have a different experience every time, it’s Blade Runner. The Ridley Scott cyberpunk tech noir can be classified in so many different ways, but all I care about is that it’s great.
One of the reasons I got back to the movie so much is that there are a ton of different edits available of the movie.
Today, I watched the Final Cut in 4K, and I decided now was as good a time as any to go over the ending of the movie Blade Runner and explain it all to you.
Sound good? Let’s dive in.
Blade Runner Plot
The movie begins in a dystopian Los Angeles in 2019. We meet former police officer Rick Deckard, and his old colleague, Gaff, who likes to make paper origami-like cranes and unicorns.
Deckard has come back to the LAPD to work on an enticing mission: He has to “retire” four replicants, bioengineered humans, who have escaped from an off-world colony and returned to Earth.
Gaff thinks no one is as good at finding replicants as Deckard.
Deckard’s mission is to track down and retire the escaped replicants: Roy Batty, Leon Kowalski, Zhora, and Pris. When he finds them, he’s supposed to eliminate them.
The way to tell a replicant is to use the Voight-Kampff test, a psychological examination that reveals who is and is not a replicant since they look just like humans.
These replicants, led by the charismatic Roy Batty, are seeking their creator, Eldon Tyrell, in an attempt to extend their artificially shortened lifespans so they can continue to exist.
Deckard embarks on the LA underworld, which is lit by neon and contains some colorful characters.
Among them is the CEO of the Tyrell Corporation, which makes replicants. His assistant Rachael is a replicant who has no idea she’s not human. Deckard learns replicants are given fake memories to trick them into believing they belong in this world.
As Deckard hunts the other replicants, he grapples with the ethical implications of his mission, questioning the nature of humanity and the line between man and machine.
But Deckard’s boss, Bryant, draws a strong line in the sand—all replicants must go. We learn that Rachel has escaped Tyrell and is now on the loose too. She’s added to Deckard’s list to kill.
Deckard follows a lead to find Zhora at a strip club where he kills her in a chase scene. After the chase, he sees Rachel in the crowd and realizes she’s been watching him the whole time. He goes after her but is confronted by Leon, who shows just how much stronger replicants are than humans. He’s about to kill Deckard when Rachel steps in and saves him.
Back at Deckard’s apartment, he and Rachel kiss and we see they may have romantic feelings for each other.
After a deep sleep where Deckard dreams of a unicorn, he gets up and goes out to continue his investigation.
Rachel agrees to stay there until he gets back.
Meanwhile, Roy, the lead replicant, is able to break into the Tyrell corporation and kill Tyrell.
Deckard follows a lead to this guy Sebastian’s apartment where he is attacked by Pris. He’s able to kill her, but then Roy returns. Roy is much stronger than Deckard, but he’s nearing the end of his life cycle because Tyrell was not able to save him.
Deckard is overmatched and even almost killed by Roy, who saves him and lays him on the roof of the building. Before Roy dies, he tells Deckard that his memories “will be lost in time, like tears in rain”.
This is such a human response from a machine, that it rocks Deckard, along with Roy’s saving of his life. This forces Deckard to confront the humanity within the replicants he is tasked to destroy.
Gaff shows up at the crime scene to congratulate Deckard, also reminding him that Rachael will not live, but “then again, who does?”
At the end of the movie, Deckard goes back to his apartment and leads Rachael to the elevator. In the hallway, he spots an origami unicorn — something Gaff, his colleague, seemingly left behind at some point.
They get in the elevator and the movie ends.
Blade Runner Ending Explained
The movie ends on an ambiguous note…what will these two do now, run away? Will he turn her in, will he kill her?
It’s right here I will say that all my analysis comes from seeing the final cut. I have the Bluray five pack which contains five different versions of the movie, and all of them have different endings.
The original theatrical version has the two of them leaving LA and living happily ever after, with Rachel outliving those four years with him.
But I prefer the ambiguity of the final cut.
Deckard is dealing with a replicant saving his life not once but twice. And when he sees them die now, he sees it almost like a human dying. They have memories, fake or not, and those memories will be lost forever.
There’s also the wrinkle that Deckard could be a replicant himself. After all, when he sees the paper unicorn at the end which ties into his dream and into his old partner, we have to wonder if his memories are real or just a plant. and if they were plants, does Gaff have access to them? Is that how he knows to leave the unicorn there?
Is he telling Deckard to run away with her? To be free?
Maybe he’s so good at catching replicants because he’s a replicant?
This ambiguity leaves the audience questioning the true nature of Deckard and the blurred lines between humans and replicants, emphasizing the film’s central themes of identity and empathy between humans and machines.
Maybe it doesn’t matter what you are as long as you value life and love.
Summing Up the Blade Runner Ending
The Blade Runner ending is one of those things that film nerds have been chatting about for years. You can debate it, and you could probably convince me of anything if you argue it well.
I really appreciate this movie and all the chances it took at the time. It’s a classic that is worthy of many rewatches.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
Author: Jason Hellerman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
