What specifically happened when Holden was killed in Blade Runner?

What specifically happened when Holden was killed in Blade Runner? - Samurai with Katana in Black and White

So in the scene where Leon shoots Holden, at the beginning of the movie, a stream of quick-edit chaos happens.

At first you see Leon shoot Holden under the table. The next shot shows "oil" leaking from the bullet hole of some canister, which is followed by a CLEARLY ALIVE Holden turning around rapidly and rolling away, as though he was smacked in the face with a cricket bat. The next shot shows Leon aiming at Holden, his arm now above the table somehow, within split second. He shoots Holden again, and you can see Holden flying across the room, clearly being pulled away by cables (you can see him speed up as he approaches a wall). And to top it all off, Holden crashes and breaks through the wall, as though he was shot into it from a canon.

Now, Blade Runner being a masterpiece, this scene felt like an utter mess, and didn't fit at all into the rest of the movie. So back to my original question, what happens here? Like the actions in detail. Trust me, that I have rewatched this scene, frame by frame, multiple times, and it just bugs me every time.

Fancher and People's script read something radically different. After Holden asks of Leon's mother, the script read:

    Leon looks shocked, surprised.  But the needles in
    the computer barely move.  Holden goes for the in-
    side of his coat.  But big Leon is faster.  His
    laser burns a hole the size of a nickel through
    Holden's stomach.  Unlike a bullet, a laser causes
    no impact.  It goes through Holden's shoulder and
    comes out his back, clean as a whistle.  Like a
    rag doll he falls back into the seat.  Big slow Leon
    is already walking away, but he stops, turns, and
    with a little smile of satisfaction fires through
    the back of the seat.

    As Leon walks out of the room the Voight-Kampff
    begins to blink, faint but steady.

If anyone has any idea about what is happening in the movie version of this scene, then let me know.



Best Answer

Step by Step.

Leon shoots Holden from under the table but through the table

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The blast penetrates through a vacuum flask containing either coffee or tea (not oil) before hitting Holden.

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Holden is spun around in his chair and through the wall by the blast, presumably Leon stands during this action.

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Leon then finishes the job by shooting Holden again....once again the blast impels the chair with considerable force. The wall breaks with the sound of breaking glass rather than a solid wall. Perhaps for effect.

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Certainly it appears that Holden was at least alive after the first shot as he seems to have been able to draw his own weapon which is why Leon finishes him off.


I won't comment on the quality of the effects or stuntwork (that's a subjectve thing) but clearly it's not a laser as indicated in the original script but what gets put on the script page is often not translated (for various reasons) to the screen.

As for Leon's actual gun, it seems that...

Assistant Art Director Stephen Dane produced several preliminary sketches during pre-production of a gun that Deckard (Harrison Ford) was to use throughout the movie. The drawings all appear to depict a COP .357 or a derivation of it. In the end, probably at the direction of Ridley Scott, the COP was dropped as the gun to be used by Rick Deckard. Instead, the COP, in completely unaltered form, was employed as the weapon Leon uses to maim the Blade Runner Holden in the famous opening scene of the film

Source

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What happened to Holden in Blade Runner?

Here Holden is blown into the wall as opposed to through it by Leon's shot, nor does he draw his weapon (though he is described as attempting to do so) and is presumably killed by Leon's first shot, Leon's second shot being either to confirm the kill or just a sadistic pleasure on Leon's part.

Is Holden a replicant?

Dave Holden only appears in the very first scene of the movie. He's a blade runner administering the Voight-Kampff test to Leon\u2014but when Leon seems to be failing the test\u2014thereby revealing that he's a replicant\u2014he tries to shoot and kill Holden.

Who gets shot at the beginning of Blade Runner?

Despite having an excellent reputation as a Blade Runner, Holden underestimated the Nexus-6 replicant, as they were difficult to detect even with the Voigt-Kampff test. While testing Leon Kowalski, the subject became noticeably agitated at Holden's questions before pulling out a gun and shooting Holden.

What does the eye symbolize in Blade Runner?

Sebastian. It is symbolic that the man who designed replicant eyes shows the replicants the way to Tyrell. Eyes are widely regarded as "windows to the soul", eye contact being a facet of body language that unconsciously demonstrates intent and emotion and this is used to great effect in Blade Runner.



Blade Runner - Final scene, \




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