Few masters can span six decades in the spotlight. Yet Ridley Scott has never been a normal filmmaker. A wunderkind and prodigy, Scott broke into the mainstream in the mid-1970s, coming out of the gate with some of the best films in history. Even his “failures” have been reworked, allowing Scott to rewrite his own history in the process. There may not be a better “Director’s cut” filmography around, and Scott’s legend only continues to grow with time. His return to the Colosseum in Gladiator II has rightfully caused a moment of retrospection for the icon. Below are ten of his best features, which becomes a difficult exercise with a filmography as deep as Scott’s.
10. Matchstick Men (2003)
Nicolas Cage often plays to the rafters, but Matchstick Men proved that Cage could play a man with disorders without turning them into a cartoon. Despite playing a man who is both OCD and has Tourette’s Syndrome, Cage delivers one of his most heartfelt and earnest performances. Ridley Scott gets great performances out of Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman, making for a powerful character comedy. It was strangely overlooked at the time, but even on the smaller side of his storytelling, Scott has juice.
9. The Martian (2015)
Matt Damon rules the screen, but it’s Ridley Scott’s direction that helps the movie achieve balance. Crafting epic action set pieces, while letting Drew Goddard’s quirky screenplay go wild, requires a masterful control of tone. Add in a massive ensemble that never feels underserved. An underappreciated aspect of The Martian, Scott proves once again that he could completely reinvent how space travel looks on film.
8. American Gangster (2007)
Swept in one of the best years in Oscar history, people seem to misremember American Gangster. It’s one of Denzel’s best performances, and that’s saying something for his career. Additionally, turning Crowe into a scumbag-style cop with a heart of gold was a choice that would help Crowe recover his out-of-control career. There’s a lot to enjoy about the period crime drama, and it has perhaps the most mournful final shot of Ridley Scott’s post-Blade Runner career.
7. Black Hawk Down (2001)
There are plenty of perfectly reasonable criticisms about Black Hawk Down and its depictions of Somali people. Yet it’s also impossible to ignore the craft on display from Ridley Scott. He’s not only taking his impeccable visceral style into modern set pieces, but it became an important reminder of the horrors of war. As American soldiers geared up to head overseas in the post-9/11 political landscape, the frenetic film became a stark reminder that the War on Terror would not be an easy path. Scott’s lifelong ethos distrusts governments and big business. You can feel these ideas percolate towards the US government, even in an era known for its ultra-patriotism.
6. Kingdom of Heaven – Director’s Roadshow Cut (2005)
While Black Hawk Down was officially Ridley Scott’s first film after 9/11, Kingdom of Heaven is the one meant as criticism. The original theatrical cut had little blood, was poorly cut, and featured some questionable performances. However, adding more than forty minutes to the runtime of Kingdom of Heaven turns it into a borderline masterpiece. Increased screen time for Eva Green clicks stakes into place, and the fleshed-out stories of every character highlight allow Scott’s visuals to take a step up. The best footage and editing comes through, and the sound work is impeccable.
5. Gladiator (2000)
Ridley Scott hates the rich and he hates the powerful. In many ways, Maximus (played by Russell Crowe) is a stand-in for Scott. A man who worked decades for studios finally came through with an epic film on the scale of the sword and sandals of the 1950s. Few directors are better at staging action on this epic tableau. Scott would return to the genre several times, including Kingdom of Heaven, The Last Duel, and the ill-conceived Exodus: Gods and Kings. However, he never did it better than he did with Gladiator.
4. Prometheus (2012)
After decades away from the Alien franchise, Ridley Scott’s return brought massive ideas back to the series. He did not settle for a creature hunting humans. Scott instead forces his characters to question god, what it means to be alive, and hatred. Michael Fassbender’s brilliant performance drives Prometheus, and the tube operation is maybe the scariest thing Scott ever directed.
3. Thelma & Louise (1991)
A violent act against a woman spawns an emotional trip of reconnection. Thelma and Louise features excellent direction from Ridley Scott, who blocks and shoots everything with the utmost skill. However, it’s the performances from Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis that make Thelma & Louise an all-timer. Ridley Scott knows exactly how lucky he was to let the actresses take center stage. He wisely removes his ego from the equation to ensure their relationship is never out of the viewers’ minds. While beautiful shots and big ideas can come from a director, it’s just as important for a filmmaker to know when to hand the keys over to his performers. That patience allows each actress to deliver career-best work.
2. Blade Runner – The Final Cut (1982)
The only reason that Blade Runner cannot occupy the top spot on this list stems from the many cuts it took to get it right. For worse, the studio interfered in a movie that had incredible dies to explore. Through the process of the alternate cuts, Ridley Scott fiddled with the story and presentation until Blade Runner became an undeniable masterpiece. Behind Scott’s vision, we never should have doubted the excellence of this sci-fi showcase. Harrison Ford delivers some of his best work, and the late Rutger Hauer has one of the best monologues in the history of film. There’s a reason Blade Runner endures, and its placement here is a no-brainer.
1. Alien (1979)
A perfect summation of Ridley Scott’s ethos came in his second feature. The Duellists is fun, but Alien strikes a strong chord for its scares, its exploration of class, and its questions about sexual violence. In many ways, Alien is a perfect film to teach you everything you need to know about America in two hours. When companies control your world and they are willing to sacrifice their workers for a tiny bit of profit, dangerous things come to pass. Scott’s working-class approach becomes an integral part of the Alien lore, allowing audiences to view space as a job, not as some brilliant aspirational goal. Decades of film history revolve around this concept, and Scott delivers it to perfection.
Gladiator II opens in theaters on November 22, 2024. Paramount Pictures distributes.
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