Tony Scott
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The story of 160 elite U.S. soldiers who dropped into Mogadishu in October 1993 to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord, but found themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily armed Somalis. Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana. Votes: 423,178 | Gross: $108.64M.
Nov 22, 2023 · This list was originally published in 2021 and has been updated to include Ridley Scott’s latest film, Napoleon. For over 45 years, director Ridley Scott has been opening the frame to visions of ...
- 3 min
- Scott Tobias
Nov 27, 2023 · We ranked the feature films directed by film legend Ridley Scott, based on IMDb user ratings. [Last updated Nov. 27, 2023] 1. Alien (1979) R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi. The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating an unknown transmission.
- Gladiators, gangsters, Xenomorphs, and Replicants!
- 10. American Gangster (2007)
- 9. Prometheus (2012)
- 8. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
- 7. The Martian (2015)
- 6. Thelma & Louise (1991)
- 5. Black Hawn Down (2001)
- 4. The Last Duel (2021)
- 3. Gladiator (2000)
- 2. Alien (1979)
By Jesse Schedeen, Matt Fowler
Updated: Feb 16, 2024 9:46 pm
Posted: Feb 15, 2024 11:30 pm
Director Ridley Scott is one of the more prolific filmmakers in Hollywood, having been steadily cranking out films since he "burst" onto the Hollywood scene in a big way with 1979's Alien. And despite dabbling in everything from historical drama to science fiction to comedy, Scott's films have a few common elements. They all have a strong focus on visual design and tend to feature very memorable performances from some of Hollywood's best actors.
Where to Watch: Max
This crime drama is (loosely) based on the story of real-life drug kingpin Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), who smuggled heroin from Southeast Asia into the US by hiding it in the coffins of Vietnam War casualties. Russell Crowe, frequent Scott collaborator, co-stars, playing Newark police detective Richie Roberts.
American Gangster features an engrossing story, and as usual, Washington delivers a charismatic, intense performance, while Crowe portrays the more morally conflicted of the headliners. It's a unique saga that spotlights the socio-political and economic factors motivating Frank and that which fuels his empire more than underworld intrigue and excessive gunplay.
Read our review of American Gangster.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Prometheus still probably qualifies as a divisive Scott film as some viewers praised the movie for its gorgeous visuals, its impressive performances, and its thematic depth, while others criticize it for what they see as a messy story full of plot holes and lacking in resolution. Either way, none can fault the movie for its lack of ambition.
Prometheus also happens to be a prequel to Alien, though the final result may not have been what fans were expecting when they learned Scott was returning to the franchise he helped to create.
Read our review of Prometheus.
Kingdom of Heaven was met with a very lukewarm response when it hit theaters in 2005. There was plenty of Crusades-era action and intrigue, but the characters and storyline weren't enough to distinguish Scott's latest historical drama from the rest.
What we'd like to call out here, specifically, is the far better film that exists in the Director's Cut. What a difference an extra 45 minutes of footage can make. It turns out the movie Scott assembled was not the one that actually arrived in theaters. The eventual Director's Cut DVD release restored the lost footage and, in the process, morphed a decent historical drama into a great one. New scenes greatly fleshed out the conflict and character motivations. These scenes even revealed an important character (Baldwin V) who had been completely eliminated from the theatrical cut.
The Martian, based on Andy Weir's novel, is a triumph. From sound design to visuals to watching the problem-solving unfold, it is an astounding cosmic puzzle. It's both emotional and logical at the same time and Matt Damon's performance, as a botanist and mechanical engineer stranded on Mars, is able to bring laughter, tears, and anguish, making this a must-see film. While Damon plays out his own solo struggles against the backdrop of a harsh wasteland, the superb supporting cast -- Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kristen Wiig, and more -- run through their own drama back home about whether to leave a man, a Martian, behind.
Read our review of The Martian.
Where to Watch: Paramount+
Glancing at the poster for Thelma & Louise, one might be forgiven for assuming the movie is a feel-good comedy about two women traveling and growing together. The film, while comedic in parts, is actually a darker tale of two women seeking liberation and a road trip that goes horribly wrong.
Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon play the leads, respectively. The film follows their progressively chaotic journey across the American Southwest as they run afoul of the law, attract the attention of a suave con artist (Brad Pitt), and try to find a safe route into Mexico. There are some laughs and chase scenes along the way, but ultimately the movie is a look at two desperate women attempting to shake the bonds of their old, oppressive lives.
Again, Scott delivers a visually mesmerizing film filled with great performances. The tragic finale sequence still ranks as one of the most iconic in Hollywood history.
Where to Watch: Paramount+, AMC+
After Gladiator, Scott turned his attention to this adaptation of Mark Bowden's book, which chronicled the disastrous Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. The film immediately took on a new sort of relevancy, as it hit theaters mere months after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
Scott's film follows a group of soldiers (Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Tom Hardy and others) as they fight their way through the hostile streets of Mogadishu and struggle to salvage their failed mission. Few films so expertly capture the horror and tension of the battlefield. Certain scenes are shocking in their violence and brutality. Once again, the emphasis on visual design and camera techniques paid off.
Black Hawk Down managed to strike the right chord at the right time. Though it focused on the hopelessness and sense of despair of a failed mission, it was ultimately a rousing celebration of heroism.
Where to Watch: Hulu
Scott even managed to eke out an awesome film this decade, with 2021's The Last Duel, wherein a brutal, bloody clash sets the stage for an unexpected discussion of women’s rights. Though the film is certainly not for the faint-hearted, powerful performances from Jodie Comer, Matt Damon, and Adam Driver make this well worth the watch. And the social commentary is as relevant today as it was in 14th century France. A masterclass in slow-burn storytelling, The Last Duel, which is based on true events, deftly unfolds in three character-driven chapters as a knight and his former friend prepare to battle to the death over the knight's wife's rape accusations. It's complex, daring, and bleak.
Where to Watch: Paramount+
Best Picture-winner Gladiator was the film that kicked Russell Crowe's career into overdrive and began the trend of Crowe re-teaming with Scott. It won Scott a Best Director Oscar while also reviving the long-dormant "sword & sandals" genre.
Crowe, too, nabbed an Oscar for playing Maximus Decimus Meridius, a respected general in service of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. After being betrayed by Aurelius' son, Commodus, Maximus finds himself a slave doomed to die in the gladiatorial arena.
Crowe won over viewers and critics alike thanks to his intense portrayal of Maximus, while Joaquin Phoenix had an Oscar-nominated turn as the sleazy Commodus. Though the film was only very loosely based on historical events, Scott sought to create a more accurate depiction of Rome as a city and society than Hollywood had offered before. Rumors have persisted for years that a Gladiator sequel and/or prequel will eventually take shape and now, more than two decades later, Gladiator 2 is close at hand.
Where to Watch: Hulu
Alien is a movie every Ridley Scott fan can get behind. It remains a classic of both the science fiction and horror genres and gave us the iconic tagline “In space, no one can hear you scream.”
Scott probably had no idea he was providing the spark for a massive, multimedia franchise when he took on this assignment. Instead, he and his collaborators were more concerned with the logistical challenges of creating a convincing spaceship environment and alien creature. The Xenomorph came to life through clever costume design and various practical effects, while H.R. Giger's surreal set designs made viewers feels as though they were trapped in a cold, hostile, claustrophobic environment right alongside the crew of the Nostromo.
In the end, it was no wonder the Alien movie franchise grew so large. Scott provided an isolated glimpse of a captivating new sci-fi universe.
- Alien. It’s staggering to remember that Alien was only Scott’s second feature film as a director because this now-iconic sci-fi horror, one of the most influential films of its kind, is remarkably self-assured from the get-go.
- Blade Runner. Regardless of which cut you watch – and there are plenty of arguments in favor or against every single version available – Blade Runner’s majesty remains undefeated.
- Thelma and Louise. No film in Scott’s filmography matches the pure emotional punch that Thelma and Louise packs. Scott seemed like a curious choice for the movie at the time — a gruff English director best-known for sci-fi films who had had several flops in a row by the end of the ‘80s — yet he feels right at home in this modern-day Western centered on two best friends who try to outrun not just the law, but also the crushing agony of patriarchy.
- The Duellists. When Ridley Scott made his feature directorial in 1977 with the historical drama The Duellists, he was best known for making commercials, including one advert for bread that was later voted the UK's favorite commercial in a 2006 poll.
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Nov 30, 2023 · The Duellists (1978) Scott's feature film directorial debut, The Duellists, is a historical epic that centers on a rivalry between two Napoleonic soldiers. Authentic and wide in scope, it's a ...
Nov 23, 2023 · The film’s particular procedural approach to its survival story works, though, because it draws on the cinematic shorthand we have for space movies and Ridley Scott is a native speaker of that ...
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