Tech Noir Legend Rutger Hauer Passes Away at 78

Rutger Hauer, the Dutch actor who brought the replicant Roy Batty to life in the classic tech noir film Bladerunner, has passed away at his home.

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Hauer’s “tears of rain” speech in the film was considered one of the high points of the story.

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Batty was a rouge replicant on a murder spree in an attempt to have his predetermined lifespan lengthened. Bladerunner Rick Decker, played by Harrison Ford, was assigned to hunt Batty and the others in his group down and kill them.

In a deeply philosophical film, the “tears of rain” speech was significant. Hauer adlibbed parts of the speech which was a statement of the fantastic life experiences replicants have that organic humans don’t. The engineered humans are designed with a predetermined life span, usually very short, in order to maintain control over the replicant.

If you have not seen Bladerunner and are a lover of classic noir films, I strongly suggest you find a copy and watch it. It is beautifully filmed and is set in Los Angeles, a common noir city setting. If you can find it, watch a version with Harrison Ford’s Decker narrating. I find this to be the best version.