MovieChat Forums > Blade Runner (1982) Discussion > What was Deckard doing to financially su...

What was Deckard doing to financially sustain himself after he quit his job/before he was forced to return?


I have always wondered about this - while he is not living like a Vanderbilt, he seems to be in a halfway decent spot, especially seeing as how he is able to have enough booze in his apartment to fill a speakeasy.
Was he just kind of coasting through life and living off of a rainy day fund or was he simply just working another job?

This has always been a headscratcher for me

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we don't know, because it is not in the movie, therefore, not important

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[deleted]

Some people are good at saving money.

Some people inherit their homes and their living expenses are cut in half.

Basically, IDK.

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You seem to assume Deckard wasn't a replicant. If he was, the life he was living was given to him like his memories.

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[deleted]

Yup, I see Deckard as a human: for me, the story carries more weight that way. Having said that, I have always liked the idea of the notion of him being a replicant being teased/suggested - yet I still maintain that he is and was a human.

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no he wasnt , his past life might have been but in the present he still has to go somewhere when off duty!

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Tik Toks. :-)

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He seemed to be part of a special division "Blade Runner", I assumed he was living off some sort of pension/early-retirement and maybe doing some other stuff related (maybe like minor PI work) he looks like he's in the middle of 'something'... pretending to read a newspaper while it's raining and dark with so much happening around... he seemed to be working independently while on his lunch break when Gaff finds him.

He also doesn't seem to have been gone for very long since he's familiar with Bryant, Holden, etc... even though Gaff doesn't, so perhaps Gaff is a new transfer from the last couple of months-a year maybe?

He seemed to be living on a budget, small studio apartment, eating street noodles...

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he invested in bitcoin really early, so he was rich

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Theory 1 - Blade Runners have large pensions. The specialization of the job means that they might have gotten a sweet deal.
Theory 2 - Blade Runners are paid bounties and Deckard was one of the best. Because of this, he hauled in a lot of dough - enough to keep him in street vendor noodles for years.
Theory 3 - Deckard was working side jobs. Cops often get jobs working security or something like that. With his rep as a Blade Runner, it's likely he could attract some high-paying clients.

Any clues?

Well, as Groove pointed out, good use of a firearm requires practice, which lends some credence to Theory 3. Deckard also didn't seem to have an employer, given that he doesn't need to excuse himself from a job.

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