Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007) Reviews

• a superior 'making of' documentary

  Chris_Docker2007-12-17

  (reviewed as part of the Blu-Ray 2-disk set with Blade Runner - The Final Cut) The tortured tale of finding the most 'authentic' version of this '80s classic seems almost like a mirror of the story itself. Clones upon clones. Even the 'Director's Cut', it seems, was not the last word. Thankfully, Blade Runner – The Final Cut, has more than just resounding conviction. The director's imprimatur does appear in both in his introduction and the three-and-a-half hour documentary made by a third party. But, more importantly, it is a cogently convincing balancing act which encapsulates the best nuances of its themes – state control, the meaning of identity, and the essence of humanity itself. Digitally restored and re-mastered, the set incorporates new footage and special effects, re-mastered sound, an introduction by Ridley Scott (who says he's finally happy with this version – phew!), three filmmaker commentaries including Scott's, and the 'definitive' documentary that includes outtakes, deleted scenes, new interviews, screen-tests and an intelligent examination of the movie's creation and controversial legacy. DVD 'commentaries' have cynically been described as entertainingly endless rambling. This set is no exception, and the trivia they include often duplicates the professionally produced study in the accompanying documentary. Choice of style, if you like. The documentary is well above standard offerings of its kind. In analysing the film from many angles (including pre-production, art department, casting and scripting, controversies over the story and versions, and its chequered history) it lets you realise the enormity of the task in creating an iconic futuristic urban film-noir world in the days before CGI. Another interesting irony for a movie that champions reality over the human/replicant abyss. Years later of course, the interest in the 'real' is being revived, from Tarantino's 'reality stunts' in Deathproof, to Carlos Reygadas' preference for authenticity over CGI in Silent Light. Major disagreements on set are not skimmed over – even one where the crew take to wearing rebellious t-shirts in defiance of Ridley Scott's bossiness, and the measures he takes to handle the situation. Profound gulfs separating approaches of various scriptwriters are discussed in a mature and enlightening fashion. Perhaps enough time has passed to put passions into perspective. David Peoples and Hampton Fancher explain their writing methods and we can appreciate how the practicality of the former, balanced the zealous vision of the latter. The documentary allows a viewer not involved with the industry to appreciate the complexity of talents in various roles. Purists may say that a film such as Blade Runner should only be appreciated on the big screen. I am firmly in that camp with most films made for cinematic release. But several things argue for the purchase of this set. Firstly, if you can watch it on Blu-Ray and on a suitably large wide screen, the amount of visual and aural detail will blow you away. If you are new to Blu-Ray, you could do much worse than make this your virgin purchase. Secondly, Blu-Ray can handle a vast amount of data – even more than HD. You get enough quality viewing on this set to hold your attention for several evenings. Thirdly, you can assuage your cinephile conscience by noting that the film's cult following and place in history was largely assured through small screen viewing. Tip: switch the English subtitles on as you listen to the commentaries. And even the subtitles are well done, intelligently placed, moving to the top of the screen when they might otherwise obscure an important detail. But if your curiosity needs to review the now 'retired' versions, there's also a 5-disk (collectors')Final Cut. Just don't make any illegal copies or we'll have to come after you . . .

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• Full of interesting tidbits

  siderite2014-08-09

  For people who have never understood the backstage of Hollywood movies, this documentary is a treasure trove. It lasts forever, more than three hours, and discusses everything from Ridley's tyrannical direction and attention to detail to the way the art department designed vehicles and architecture. On the other hand all that stuff can get boring after a while. What is sure is that the film contains a lot of information that could be of interest to film fans, amateur filmmakers and probably even professionals. Even if you have enough of that crappy overpraising that you see when people in showbiz talk about each other, it is not too much and some of them are downright honest about things: what they liked, what they hated, etc. Harrison Ford, which everyone praised as a very technical, very professional actor, actually hated working for the movie and was only happy when close to completion. Also the financial underworkings of the film are very interestingly exposed. You cannot bring your own people because of unions, you spend obscene amounts of money for things that might seem trivial, like choosing the perfect mug to sit on the table in a scene from 100 different models or filming nature scenes, etc. It explains a little why movies like these need tens and hundreds of million of dollars to make and why, even with stupid stories and bad direction or production, films still feel professional because of the army of trained technicians that take care of every minute aspect. All in all a very instructive documentary, kind of long. Don't expect a lot of juicy, funny stories either. It feels more like a log of the production of Blade Runner, than an attempt at a particular perspective or viewpoint. Useful, interesting, not very engaging, though.

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• Electric dreams

  Prismark102014-06-22

  Dangerous Days was the working title for the film Blade Runner. Clocking in at 3 and-a-half hours in length this making of feature on Blade Runner is way longer than the movie itself. It is a comprehensive look at a film that failed upon its release but has become a cult hit and a film way ahead of its time. My interest in this documentary was only aroused when I heard Harrison Ford took part in this. For years Ford would not talk about Blade Runner leading to speculation that he wanted to distance himself from the film or he did not enjoy making it or its fraught difficulties on set was just too much for him. His participation in this making of film and express words that he did the voice-over very much under protest because he backed Scott's cut of the film but was under contract and therefore obliged to do it pretty much dismisses those accusations that he was embarrassed with the failure of Blade Runner. The film has it all from the script writing phase to getting a shooting script ready to the tensions on set, getting the special effects to be outstanding to the post production editing that led to the conflict with the director's vision of the film, the box office failure and then its re-discovery as a classic. This is aimed at fans of the film but it should be a must see for anyone who is interested in how films are made.

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• All the information you could want about Ridley Scott's masterpiece.

  lewiskendell2010-07-28

  "This movie, to me, embodies the elegance, the power, and the uniqueness of a film experience." Dangerous Days is an exhaustive (almost 4 hours!) documentary about the making of Blade Runner. It's (obviously) mostly for hardcore fans, but it's quite a treat for those people who can't get enough information about that landmark sci-fi movie. Almost everything you could possibly want to know about the film, from its conception, to casting, art, filming, set design, and its release, is covered in detail. There are tons of candid interviews with the actors, writers, Ridley Scott, financiers production designers, and many other people who were involve with the creation of the movie, as well as reactions from other directors like Guillermo del Toro about their own personal thoughts on Blade Runner. Plus, we get an entertaining view of all the backstage drama (and there was quite a lot of it) that went on during the film's production. There is also a lot of unused scenes, behind-the-scenes set footage, and designs sprinkled liberally throughout, that (as far as I know) you can't see anywhere else.   I actually learned a lot about the filmmaking process in general, from watching this.  Despite the lengthy running time, I was interested the whole way through. This is a gold mine for people who love all things Blade Runner. I wish these kinds of thorough documentaries existed for more of my favorite movies.

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• For a fan, it's a treasure trove, and long overdue.

  Mr-Fusion2013-11-27

  Personally speaking, the story of how "Blade Runner" was made is just as fascinating as the movie itself. And "Dangerous Days" tells a terrific story. For one thing, it's 3 and-a-half hours long, so "comprehensive" is pretty much a given. And at that length, it's surprising how engaging this thing actually is. Things move pretty well. The filmmakers interviewed nearly everyone involved, and they all had plenty to say. Just about every step and beat of the process is covered here: the struggle to come up with a shooting script, the tensions and grueling work on the set, the disappointing box office failure and subsequent home video rebirth. Just an obscene wealth of material, and Charles de Lauzirika did an impressive job putting it all together. I have no idea how the casual moviegoer would receive this documentary. I imagine it's runtime alone is pretty daunting. But for me, it's a thrill, and a well-produced doc. Maybe it's best left to the more ardent fan, and if that's the case, then this is your rare instance of a studio finally catering to those who have thirsted for new material for many years. And for that, you can color me grateful. 9/10

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