Future Noir is the story of that triumph.

The making of Blade Runner was a seven-year odyssey that would test the stamina and the imagination of writers, producers, special effects wizards, and the most innovative art directors and set designers in the industry.

A fascinating look at the ever-shifting interface between commerce and the art that is modern Hollywood, Future Noir is the intense, intimate, anything-but-glamerous inside account of how the work of SF's most uncompromising author was transformed into a critical sensation, a commercial success, and a cult classic.

Sammon takes a chronological approach to his subject, beginning with the director's youth and his early success in television advertising, before moving on to a film-by-film analysis of Scott's work from The Duellists to G.I. Jane. Each film is afforded a brief description of its writing, casting and production, together with details of its critical and commercial reception. Anxious to counter claims of "style over substance", Sammon also draws the reader's attention to important themes in the director's work and features of his style. On the whole, Sammon succeeds in persuading the reader that there is more to Scott's work than many critics allow, even if the writer's friendship with the director does sometimes cloud his judgement. With this in mind, the reprinting of the Variety reviews for each of the films offers a welcome sense of critical balance, as well as providing useful lists of cast and crew. --John Oates