The epitomy of evil...or is he? The remarkable thing about Rutger Hauer's character, Roy Batty, is that it can be analyzed in two completely different lights. Seen here, Batty's dishonest smile and distrusting eyes reveals the villain, Roy Batty, who will destroy anyone or anything that might hinder his chances of obtaining "more life." His facial exterior gives the impression that he is wise and powerful, but on the inside Batty is extrememely frightened of the fact that he is quite simple intellectually and powerless against human force. By the end of the film, the audience sympathizes with Batty because he fails in his efforts to sustain life, of which he is only allotted a mere sample.
Here are two examples of Batty's character which help to blur the distinctions of his being good or evil:
Roy Killing Tyrell - a rather graphic
account of the sadistic power of Batty when he is denied more life.(clip source)
Breaking news to Pris that they are but two
- Here, weakened and concerned, Batty begins to recognize his
limitations, and, although he delivers the news to Pris in a saddened nature, he
is sure to lend confidence to his partner that they will indeed succeed in their
mission.(clip source)
Here, draped in an elegant, papalesque robe, Dr. Tyrell stands beneath a golden light, a light that symbolizes divinity as if he were the almighty God, the divine creator of human life. The wisdom in his eyes amid the confidence of his chin instill within us trust that he has complete control over his creations, and assures us that nothing could go wrong from his experiment. Listen to Dr. Tyrell as he shares his motto ("more human than human") with Deckard. In this film clip, Tyrell, played by Joe Turkel, is represented as an antagonist, praising the objects which will eventually prove dangerous. He is perhaps viewed as the modern-day Dr. Frankenstein, creator of a being so intelligent and powerful that it would one day prove threatening to all humanity.