This Friday sees the release of Ridley Scott’s twenty-first feature film, The Counselor. The acclaimed British filmmaker is 75 years old, and he’s had one of the longest and most illustrious careers of any filmmaker working today. He got his start working as a set designer for the BBC and moving on to helm commercials and television episodes before moving on to feature films in the 1970s. His filmography is one of the most diverse of any living filmmaker – he’s made everything from futuristic sci-fi epics to historical dramas and romantic comedies – and he’s won more than a fair share of awards for his work.
In anticipation of The Counselor, we’ve put together a retrospective looking back at all of his feature films. Not every movie is a masterpiece – you can’t be prolific as he is and always produce winners – but even the failures demonstrate his willingness to experiment with new genres and ideas, and to never do the same thing twice. He’s a hard filmmaker to pin down, and that’s something worth celebrating.
‘The Duellists’ (1977)
Grade: B
Ridley Scott entered feature filmmaking with a bang, not only winning the Best First Work award at the Cannes Film Festival for The Duellists but also securing a nomination for the Palm d’Or. It’s a film that still bears the mark of a young filmmaker looking for his voice (Scott largely based the photography on what Kubrick did in Barry Lyndon), but this tale of two military officers and their decade-long rivalry is thrilling nonetheless. It’s a bit hard to swallow Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel as French, but they both deliver compelling performances, and the action is eloquently staged. The film also establishes Scott as a filmmaker looking for thematically rich material; these characters’ battle with each other mirrors the wars going on around them, and the struggle within themselves between desire and honor. The Duellists isn’t the most masterful entry in Scott’s filmography, but it’s a promising start of a long and illutrious career. – Johnson
‘Alien’ (1979)
Grade: A+
Scott’s second feature film in a career that spans more than thirty-five years is also, for my money, his best. One of the most iconic science fiction movies of all times, Alien is a masterwork of design, from the gargantuan alien space-jockey to H.R. Giger’s fearsome, biomechanical xenomorph in all its various forms (alternately vaginal, penile and hermaphroditic). Dan O’Bannon’s script contains obvious sexual and socioeconomic overtones, while Sigourney Weaver’s performance, as Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley, provided us with one of the most enduring female genre protagonists of all time. Greater themes asides, Alien functions as a tense, classically atmospheric horror film, one that is punctuated by unforgettable moments of visceral shock and revulsion. – Clift
‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
Grade: A
Has there ever been a stronger case for film preservation than Blade Runner? Upon release in 1982, the film was the subject of the very definition of a mixed reception. Some called it brilliant, others called it a dud, and that many more were simply perplexed by Ridley Scott’s latest sci-fi yarn. Lacking the tight, razor sharp precision of Alien, the film contained much ambition and ambiguity, but lacked a real sense of what it was trying to say, mostly due to a muddled editing process. Despite all this, the film gained a loyal following, and scholars continued to analyze and debate about it, prompting Scott to re-edit the film several times over the course of thirty years, each time improving upon the work and driving it closer towards his true vision. Today, the film is regarded as one of the best films ever made, and with good reason. A dense and rewarding work of mad genius, it stands as one of the most compelling works of modern science fiction out there, and as one of the most influential films of the late 20th century. – Ketchum
‘Legend’ (1985)
Grade: D+
Legend: The Director’s Cut has become something of a cult item, but that’s not the version I saw in 1985, nor will it be the one I discuss. The theatrical cut was a confusing and at times unwatchable mess starring Mia Sara and a Risky Business-era Tom Cruise. A recent big screen revival did little to alter my memories; this film is a god-awful reminder that most 80’s fantasy movies were dreadful. It makes absolutely no sense, because 40% of the original cut is gone.
Three things save this from being an F:
1. Rob Bottin’s Oscar nominated makeup, which he slathers on several actors, including
2. Tim Curry, who brings as much commitment to Darkness as he did to Dr. Frank-N’-Furter, and
3. The fabulous amount of homoerotic imagery employed to tell this botched fairy tale. Seeing Cruise traipse through the forest using an odd voice and looking for unicorns is an awesome sight to behold.
The art direction is good too. It’s too bad people keep standing in front of the sets. – Henderson
‘Someone To Watch Over Me’ (1987)
Grade: C-
One of Scott’s less successful attempts at transcending cliche. It looks quite fetching, but has little else to recommend it. As the cop and the society dame for whom he falls, leads Tom Berenger and Mimi Rogers have no chemistry whatsover. Rogers sees a murder, and the murderer sees her. Enter Berenger as the white knight out to protect her. Both Rogers’ life and Berenger’s marriage are in jeopardy, though only the latter element is worth any attention. As the cuckolded wife, Lorraine Bracco injects some fire into her few scenes, though her character’s ultimate fate is rather insulting. Movies named after songs are rarely good; this is no exception. – Henderson
‘Black Rain’ (1989)
Grade: C-
The most remarkable thing about Black Rain is just how unremarkable it is, especially given the talent involved. The plot is standard stuff: Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia star as New York cops who go to Japan to take down a high-ranking member of the yakuza. Ken Takakura has a supporting role, Hans Zimmer collaborates with Scott for the first time, and Jan de Bont handles the cinematography, so this should be a knockout, right?
Unfortunately, the result is little more than your typical fish-out-of-water story with Douglas and Garcia’s characters encountering resistance from the Japanese police and learning to cope with the culture clash. Visually speaking, the city streets feel very close to the urban landscape of Blade Runner–this is a very bleak film, and unfortunately that darkness never feels connected to a larger theme or narrative focus. Aside from the climactic confrontation, even the action scenes feel tired given what we’ve seen (and will see) from Scott. – Johnson
‘Thelma & Louise’ (1991)
Grade: A-
Oscar nominees Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon are both excellent as the titular duo. With help from cinematographer Adrian Biddle and editor Thom Noble, Scott delivers a larger-than-life legendary tale. Callie Khouri’s Oscar winning script fleshes the ladies out in heartbreaking and heart-stopping fashion. Harvey Keitel brings his thespian chops while a young Brad Pitt brings the swoon factor in a small role. Davis and Sarandon bring a palpable sense of female empowerment, and their unique personalities negate the argument that this is simply “a male buddy film with chicks.”
Scott shows an equal adeptness in handling the action and the dialogue, making Thelma and Louise a film both genders can enjoy. Its iconic final moments went unappreciated by me when I saw it in 1991, and though I am 22 years older and wiser, I still don’t consider it the triumphant moment folks keep telling me it is. Still, one of 1991’s best films. – Henderson
‘1492: Conquest of Paradise’ (1992)
Grade: D+
With the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ “discovery” of the New World two decades ago, the timing seemed perfect to revisit and maybe even re-evaluate Columbus from a more critical point of view atypical of the whitewashed version taught in American elementary schools and high schools. Studios gave moviegoers not one, but two expensive, live-action Columbus biopics. Directed by Ridley Scott, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, was considered the more high-profile, prestige production. With a cast that included Gerard Depardieu (Columbus), Sigourney Weaver (Queen Isabella), Armand Assante, and Fernando Rey (among hundreds of others), a score by Vangelis (Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner), and Scott’s typically obsessive attention to period detail, a box-office hit seemed certain. Until it wasn’t, of course. A script woefully short on insight or depth (and long on risible dialogue and surface-deep characterizations), a badly miscast lead (Depardieu laced gravitas), and sluggish storytelling did nothing to convince critics 1492: Conquest of Paradise was anything but misconceived and poorly executed. Moviegoers agreed, making 1492: Conquest of Paradise one of the biggest bombs of Scott’s five-decade long career. – Mel Valentin
‘White Squall’ (1996)
Grade: B-
Only four years after the disastrous 1492: Conquest of Paradise (a film that would have destroyed a lesser director’s career), Ridley Scott was back in nautical territory with White Squall, a semi-successful, fact-based survival/courtroom drama that featured a sizable collection of up-and-coming actors, including Scott Wolf, Ryan Phillippe, Jeremy Sisto, Eric Michael Cole, Balthazar Getty, and Ethan Embry (among others), and a creditable turn by Jeff Bridges as the ill-fated leader of a sailing trip threatened by the “white squall” (a sudden, violent windstorm) of the title. At his best during the white squall and its aftermath, but at his near worst everywhere else (e.g., stock, underwritten characters, cheap sentimentality, an unearned, cathartic ending), White Squall offered additional proof (as if any was actually needed) that Scott was (and is) is a consummate visual stylist, but often falls short as a narrative storyteller. In short, he’s only as good as the scripts he directs allow and rarely more. Despite the cast and a subject matter that promised life-or-death drama and adventure, audiences reacted with indifference. – Valentin
‘G.I. Jane’ (1997)
Grade: A-
I know I’m in the minority on this one, but I’m a big fan of G.I. Jane. Demi Moore may have cinematically ruined stripping, sexual harassment and Nathanial Hawthorne, but military dramas were mercifully spared. This is a grittier version of Private Benjamin.
To portray the fictionalized story of a woman trying out for a Navy SEALs-type team, Moore shaves her head, butches up, takes one hell of a beating from her Master Chief, and tells a man to “suck my dick” years before Li’l Kim did it. As the Master Chief, Viggo Mortensen is fantastic; this is one of his best performances. Also on hand is Anne Bancroft, who shows up as a Texas Senator whose support of Moore’s Jordan O’Neill character hides an ulterior motive.
G.I. Jane is just as obvious as its title, but that doesn’t stop it from being compelling, exciting and fun. Co-screenwriter David Twohy sows the seeds of Vin Diesel’s Riddick in Jordan O’Neill, a fact made more noticeable in that both O’Neill and Riddick were Razzie nominated roles for their respective actors. Moore won hers, but that shouldn’t deter you. Scott is clearly enjoying himself here, and it’s infectious. – Henderson
‘Gladiator’ (2000)
Grade: A-
Ridley Scott’s sand-and-skirts epic is one that brought back fleeting reminisces of the days of old while pushing historical drama into the new century. Paying homage to works of William Wyler and Stanley Kubrick, it gave cinema a real hero and made a star out of Russell Crowe when he won the Best Actor Oscar. A total of five wins from 12 nominations at that ceremony would cement Gladiator as a favorite around the world.
The story of Maximus and his rise from the ashes is much like a phoenix. Lauded by his peers at first, he dies (emotionally) from the loss of his family and rebirths to defeat his enemies. His strength is spurred by revenge lurking within his puritan nature, and Scott brings the story to life with that focus. An unfair ending makes this all the more powerful, Scott having already made the film a spectacle in expanding the world of Rome with efforts involving CGI technology. With Crowe, a creepy villain in Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus and plenty of action, Gladiator is a film that has it all. – Vangopoulos
‘Hannibal’ (2001)
Grade: C
A sequel to the massively acclaimed Silence of the Lambs that took only that films characters and Anthony Hopkins from it. All the artistry was left behind. However, this sequel DID add unrestrained insanity into the mix. A deformed supervillain has bred cannibalistic pigs for the sole purpose of devouring his enemy. Hannibal Lecter has gone from an unnerving if hammy monster to a self-parodyingly theatrical antihero, a proto-Dexter who saves the girl and the day (and then makes a man eat his own brain). It is not a good film, though least it can’t be accused of being boring. – Schindel
‘Black Hawk Down’ (2001)
Grade: A-
Released almost a decade before critics waxed on about the realism of Katheryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, Scott’s last great film (to date) may be the most immersive modern war film ever made. With an ensemble cast made up of a combination of reliable B-list vets and a who’s who of then future stars, this on-the-ground retelling of the disastrous Battle of Mogadishu during the 1993 Somalia conflict is a work of phenomenal technical precision, capturing the confusion and chaos of urban warfare while at the same time exhibiting a filmmaker’s mastery of sound, framing, editing and geography.
From a socio-critical perspective, Black Hawk Down is somewhat problematic, emphasizing the heroics of the American forces at the expense of other UN troops, and offering a depiction of Somalis that has frequently been decried as racist. Despite narratives nods towards antiwar sentiment, the foremost impression one gets from the film relates to the awesomeness of US military hardware, as well as the virtues of world-policing (something that was exacerbated given the film’s release just a few short months after 9/11). Never the less, as a viewing experience, Black Hawk Down is completely and utterly gripping. – Clift
‘Matchstick Men’ (2003)
Grade: B+
After striking Oscar nominations and wins for Black Hawk Down, Ridley Scott wonderfully tones it all back for Matchstick Men, a crime-comedy that boasts an exceptional cast including Nicolas Cage, Alison Lohman, and Sam Rockwell, all turning in great performances. Cage plays con-man Roy, who’s afflicted with OCD, Agoraphobia, panic attacks, and a whole slew of other neuroses. Cage’s performance is one of the best and most memorable of his career, and it’s bolstered by a wonderful script by Nicolas and Ted Griffin, but the key to his character might secretly be Scott’s direction, which effectively brings us into Roy’s discombobulated mindset while still mastering both the comedic tone and the human element.
It’s a constant juggling act that feels surprisingly balanced and consistently enjoyable, even when the film introduces a ludicrous twist ending. An ending that wouldn’t work in the hands of most directors, but Scott treats his characters with respect, and manages to stick the landing much better than the film has any right to. Despite being one of his better films, many consider it “minor Scott” because its simply not Alien or Blade Runner quality, but Matchstick Men truly is under-appreciated, and a worthy, fun addition to his oeuvre. – Runyon
‘Kingdom of Heaven’ (2005)
Grade: A
Rarely has a bigger leap been made via the director’s cut. The 194-minute Kingdom of Heaven, Ridley Scott’s original cut before 20th Century Fox let Freddy Krueger loose on the theatrical edit, stands as the director’s last great film (The Counsellor pending). Lead Orlando Bloom is, regrettably, as bland as they come, but he’s supported by a crowd of consummate character actors, dwarfed by themes of faith and religion, and outshone by dazzling visuals, all of which make that oft-repeated flaw the minor discrepancy in this huge picture. The Director’s Cut is a deep, moody adventure that before long shifts into all-out war movie, as Bloom’s drifting Balian travels from rural France to a Jerusalem teetering on a Christian/Muslim clash; Scott, who has in the past preferred his battles gung-ho, opts for a strong anti-war message here, by flagging up the utter pointlessness of religious conflict. First and foremost a visualist, Scott allows Kingdom of Heaven to be a movie of ideas, with William Monahan’s garrulous script matching Scott’s love for grandness and overt symbolism. Kingdom of Heaven still stands to be discovered by many made cautious by the theatrical cut’s bad reputation, but a majestic Crusades epic awaits them. – Morris
‘A Good Year’ (2006)
Grade: C-
A Good Year is as lovely to look at as it is absent in wit, charm, and humor. Told with a series of inspirational adages regarding the preciousness of the little things in life, so filled to the brim with sap you’d think it drank in the same bar as The Bucket List, Scott’s first and only foray into romantic comedy is a misstep both huge and forgettable, with an utterly wasted cast that features a woefully miscast Russell Crowe’s poor attempt at comedic timing and slapstick, and the always beautiful Marion Cotillard sadly forced to share rushed, unearned chemistry with her co-lead.
Scott truly is out of whatever element he’s usually in all throughout A Good Year. Say what you will about his less successful period dramas and action films, but they at least exhibit a very specific touch: that of a visual master exercising his craft. And as pretty as A Good Year is, it doesn’t even have that going for it. Scott’s romance isn’t romantic, the comedic bits are unfunny, and its heavy dollop of Hallmark pleasantries fail to inspire. After this film’s utter forgettability, it’s no wonder that he hasn’t attempted a romantic comedy again, so far. – Runyon
‘American Gangster’ (2007)
Grade: B+
In a time when the gangster genre felt enervated, Ridley Scott restored some vitality to it with American Gangster: an epic, two and a half hour recount of the life and times of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), the preeminent drug kingpin of the 1970s. Washington, supported by a dynamite performance from Russell Crowe (he plays the leading officer hunting Lucas down), does some of his finest work since The Hurricane. While it may be a bit overlong, this is yet another film that displays Scott’s willingness to explore all facets of cinema. – Fragoso
‘Body of Lies’ (2008)
Grade: C
In theory, Body of Lies should be a thrilling cinematic experience. By 2008 Scott had just come off a creative surge with American Gangster, William Monahham (the screenwriter here) just completed writing The Departed, and the pairing of DiCaprio/Crowe seemed like a match-made in heaven. Unfortunately, the end result is little more than a middling, bloated, post-911 terrorist/spy excursion convoluted in its scripting. Few things are worse in cinema than untapped potential. – Fragoso
‘Robin Hood’ (2010)
Grade: C-
To consider Robin Hood, I tried to consider where it would fit within Scott’s spectrum of films. Ssadly it isn’t as good as its obvious peers; Gladiator and Kindgom of Heaven. It comes down to the fact that it never taps into the determination present in both of those films. Both of them were stories centred around one man trying to rise to a challenge: Robin Hood spends too much time with Longstride trying to take Loxley’s place. By the time occasion comes for him to rise, we’ve stopped caring. I enjoyed some of what I saw in Robin Hood, but I don’t know who else will. Those looking for Russell Crowe to kick ass and take names would be better served watching Gladiator. Those looking for the legend of an archer and his band of merry men would be better served renting Errol Flynn’s 1938 classic. Oh – and if you want mullets, no accents, and Canadian power balladry…well, you know what to do. – McNeil
‘Prometheus’ (2012)
Grade: B+
I realize I’m in the minority when I consider Prometheus a genuinely good film, and a worthy if never equal precursor to Scott’s horror classic. Yes, it fails to answer its most tantalizing questions, but that absence of comprehension is the entire point of the film, and what makes those questions all the more fascinating and thought-provoking. We can agree that the characters aren’t nearly as memorable as the original Alien crew (and some of them make downright idiotic decisions), but they’re all played by such a wonderful cast (including an undeniably brilliant Michael Fassbender) that ultimately invest the viewer into its mystery even further.
Prometheus is undeniably flawed, but its flaws dissipate for me whenever I think of that awe-inducing scene in which Fassbender’s android finds the star-map, or when Noomi Rapace’s Dr. Shaw has to remove an alien organism from her belly in terrifying, gory fashion. No matter the script’s issues, Scott’s talent for haunting visuals, oppressive atmosphere, and pure, simple scares remain in peak form; creating a film that, while not as intelligent as it wishes, is completely thrilling and utterly absorbing sci-fi. That, or I’m also wrong. There are some mysteries we were never meant to solve, after all. – Runyon
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Prometheus: C. Hannibal B. A Good Year: B. Kingdom of Heaven D. Robin Hoof F