This is my take on Gaff and all the words to/about/by Gaff.
Note: It has come to my attention that some people on this forum when they wish to write a comment to one of my topics seem to like to write in a stream-of-consciousness manner. What we have here is one long paragraph that makes little or no sense. At the very least please break-up the long paragraph into smaller paragraphs. As for the sense part, you are on your own!!!!!!!!!
The reason that I am going to the trouble to write down the words dealing with Gaff is because I believe it is always good to know what one is talking about. We cannot understand Gaff if we do not know what words that are spoken by/about/to Gaff.
Here is my take on Gaff:
Ridley Scott uses Gaff to enlighten (thus, where they get the “gaff†name) us about the Deckard human/replicant thread and the Deckard/Rachael relationship thread. Scott wants us to understand that if we listen to Gaff and we are not stupid (Scott has said as much in his commentaries) we have to come to the conclusion that Deckard is a replicant.
Scott does not make it easy for us. When Deckard finds the unicorn origami figure made by Gaff we can only conclude that Gaff was at Deckard’s apartment and Gaff has let Rachael live. Deckard’s voiceover says as much. Now Scott, in one of his commentaries, says that the reason why Deckard smiles after finding the unicorn figure is because Deckard knows that Gaff knows his (Deckard’s) thoughts. Deckard smiles because Gaff’s unicorn has given Deckard the proof that he needs to have to confirm the fact that he (Deckard) is a replicant. Of course, this would only make “sense†if you saw the Director’s Cut with Deckard’s unicorn dream in it. The Theatrical Cut did not have the unicorn dream in it.
In my opinion, even if one knows about the unicorn dream, it is next to impossible to know that the unicorn dream/unicorn figure means that Deckard is a replicant. If one takes the dream by itself it is just plain weird. Scott took it out in The Theatrical Cut because it was not working (i.e. it was too arty-farty). With the dream cut out, one can only conclude that the unicorn origami figure means that Gaff was at Deckard’s apartment and has let Rachael live (and that is all one can know for sure).
I do not think it is unreasonable to think Deckard has told Gaff about his unicorn dream and this is why Gaff has used a unicorn figure. We do not see Deckard telling Gaff about the unicorn in the movie. This can be explained by the fact that the scene for whatever reason was cut out. I think on the surface this makes more sense than for Scott to tell us that the unicorn dream/figure makes it as plain-as-the-nose-on-your-face that Deckard is a replicant.
For the record, I believe that Deckard is a replicant. I believe this because of the replicant’s glow in Deckard’s eyes and the J.F. Sebastian’s stuff unicorn/Deckard’s unicorn dream/Gaff’s unicorn/ Rachael-unicorn thread (contrive as it is). Because the narrative of the movie is so haphazard we are not able piece together the clues that would lead us to believe that Deckard is a replicant!!!!!!
The following are words spoken to/about/by Gaff:
Note: “--------“means change of scene.
Gaff: [Fr-Hung-Ger: “Sir, you will please come with me now.â€
Deckard: Got the wrong guy, pal.
Gaff: [Hung: “Ah, don’t shit me, man, you’re the Blade…Blade Runner!â€]
Deckard: Tell him I’m eating.
Gaff: [Japanese: It’s Captain Bryant wants to see you, y’know!â€
Deckard: Bryant, huh?
Deckard: (voiceover) The charmer’s name was Gaff. I’d seen him around. Bryant must have upped him to the Blade Runner unit. That gibberish he talked was city-speak, guttertalk, a mishmash of Japanese, Spanish, German, what have you. I didn’t really need a translator. I knew the lingo, every good cop did. But I wasn’t going to make it easier for him.
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Deckard: (voiceover) I’d quit because I’d had a belly full of killing. But then I’d rather be a killer than a victim. And that’s exactly what Bryant’s threat about little people meant. So I hooked in once more, thinking that if I couldn’t take it, I’d split later. I didn’t have to worry about Gaff. He was brownnosing for a promotion, so he didn’t want me back anyway.
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[Deckard and Gaff inspect the apartment. Deckard finds a scale in the bathtub and some family photos. Gaff watches quietly, folding an origami statue of a man with an erection.]
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Gaff: Bryant.
Bryant: Christ, Deckard, you look almost as bad as that skin job you left on the sidewalk.
Deckard: I’m going home.
Bryant: You could learn from this guy, Gaff. He’s a god damn one man slaughter house. That’s what he is. Four more to go. Come on, Gaff, let’s go.
Deckard: Three. There’s three to go.
Bryant: There’s four. That--That skin job that you V-K’ed at the Tyrell Corporation, Rachael. Disappeared. Vanished. Didn’t even know she was a replicant. Something to do with a brain implant says Tyrell. Come on Gaff. Drink some for me, pal.
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Gaff: You’ve done a man’s job, sir. I guess you’re through, huh?
Deckard: Finished.
Gaff: It’s too bad she won’t live. But then again, who does?
Deckard: Rachael? Rachael? Rachael?
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[Deckard picks up paper unicorn.]
Gaff’s voice: It’s too bad she won’t live. But then again, who does?
Deckard: (voiceover) Gaff had been there, and let her live. Four years, he figured. He was wrong. Tyrell had told me Rachael was special: no termination date. I didn’t know how long we had together. Who does?