"He say you Blade Runner, Mr. Deckard."

Five discs. Five different versions of the film. Certainly the most lavish DVD presentation a single film has ever received, surpassing even the Criterion Collection Brazil mega-set. Finally, we can lay out all the evidence. All of the cuts of the film. All of the deleted scenes. Voice-over or no voice-over. Unicorn or no unicorn. Replicant or not-a-Replicant.

It's finally time to close the book on Blade Runner and I for one, say, thank god. It's about damn time.

In his worthy and exhaustive book "Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner, " author Paul M. Sammon traces the tortured production of Ridley Scott's film and the genesis of the multitude of versions out there. From the disastrous early screenings in Dallas to the battles over the recording of the much-maligned voice-over, to the creation of the 90's "Director's Cut," Sammon covers it all. We know what the two released version are like. Now we're getting the other half of the story, the raw materials, the DNA of the movie itself. I could care less for the Lucasized new edition. I'm waiting with baited breath for the discarded bits, the deleted scenes, the pops and scratches of the workprint.

The centerpiece of the DVD set is a new "Final Cut" of the film, complete with the usual digital tinkering and newly re-shot footage. On the subject of the endless parade of "Director's Cuts," "Special Editions," and "Unrated Cuts" I am ambivalent, so long as the original, theatrical version- you know, the very film we all fell in love with in the first place- is still readily accessible. Even Darth Stubborn himself, George Lucas, finally listened to the call after years of countless tweaks both great and small to the Star Wars films. The tinkering wasn't the problem, it was the unavailability of the original films. Admittedly, I am a hypocrite when it comes to Blade Runner in this regard: I prefer the widely available 90's Director's Cut, and scarcely miss the relegated-to-VHS Theatrical Version; the Director's Cut is a far superior piece of work, a much better presentation of the film's themes and ideas that the Theatrical Cut.

Now, if we could only get a branching theatrical/director's cut of Conan the Barbarian on the market. Quick, get John Milius on the phone.