It’s a shame you have to go into this with such high praise for it on your mind. When I first saw it, it was a late-evening what-the-heck-nothing-else-is-on impulse, back when it had recently left theaters and came to HBO. It’s not a fast-moving film, and the protagonist - Harrison Ford - does some unlikable things, while the brutal antagonist does at least one surprisingly altruistic thing. It’s a beautifully shot movie filled with broken people and broken ‘replicants’, and it makes you wonder just what the difference is between them.
I think it’s a little like “Local Hero” in that you just let it unwind at it’s own pace, and the subtleties worm their way into your mind. I found it terribly immersive, and it benefits from a relaxed, unhurried state of mind and multiple viewings. The special effects and sets hold up, I feel, to some of today’s best, and makes multiple viewings a feast for the eyes.
There are different versions. Some ppl hate the “voiceover” theatrical version with Harrison Ford giving a ‘film noir’-like narration, but I think it has it’s place, and might be the one to see first. Others might say watch the Director’s cut or Ultimate/Final cut first, so that you can determine what you think of the movie without the narration explaining it to you. As I said, it IS a somewhat slow-paced film, and if you are impatient with that sort of thing, the narration might help.
“If only you could see, what I’ve seen with your eyes. . .”
Watch it on DVD at minimum. The sets and cinematography are worth the higher resolution and reduced compression rate.
Not to mention the incredibly well-written dialog and stunning plot. Of course, it’s taken from a very successful play, so as one might expect. Anyway, I’ll go along with this as my favorite, although I don’t watch it very often.
Roddy
the thing that makes me want to watch this movie over and over is how short robert shaw’s speaking part was but it seemed to dictate the mood of the entire story. his portrayal of Henry VIII is a heavy for all seasons.
Another day I’d probably give a different answer but here and now, I’ll go for Kind Hearts and Coronets.
Almost the whole script is deeply quotable, the plot is perfect and the acting amazing. Alec Guinness deserves all the praise he earned for his mutiple roles but Dennis Price as the lead character was for me, just spectacular. The whole film would have failed if he hadn’t pulled off the amazing achievement of making callous murder look not only acceptable to the audience but even sympathetic.
Terrific clip. So what’s the movie with the “horse race” using bugs or crickets or similar critters? I have this vague mental picture of maybe beetles with painted dots on their backs. Same basic situation with prisoners and entertainment.
Sorry, can’t agree, I have been forced to watch SOM several times and every time it causes me to either come down with the flu or hemorrhage.
I don’t have a best movie to list but I sure do have a worst one (That I have watched that is) and Sound of music is it.
I’ll second someone else’s grievance that ‘favorite’ should be by genre.
I’ll also second the opinion that ‘favorite’ is not the same as ‘best of all time’ (and would also be better served by breaking it into genres).
I’d say my favorite still happens to be Lester’s version of The Three Musketeers (which we’ve learned from another Dope discussion was broken into The Queen’s Diamonds and its sequel The Four Musketeers: Milady’s Revenge). In my mind, they really are one long movie.