Joey Magidson
Ridley Scott is a fascinating director. At his best, few are better. On the flip-side, however, there aren’t many A-listers more capable of a boondoggle. So, we have a superstar filmmaker who is equally able to make a masterpiece or a disaster. Recently, he’s been on mostly a winning streak, but Scott is always worth discussing. With his latest film in Gladiator II opening, it felt like a perfect time to rank his movies so far.
In my review of Gladiator II (here), I said the following about Scott’s direction:
Director Ridley Scott and writer David Scarpa (who shares a Story By credit with Peter Craig) don’t mess with what works. A lot of this is similar to what the first film did, though there’s enough here to prevent it from ever feeling like a remake. Scott is enjoying being in this world again, so the movie has moments where it even feels silly. In a way, it’s a cousin to his Napoleon. I wish there was a little bit more here to sink your teeth into, admittedly, but the movie is mostly aiming to just entertain, which it certainly does.
Below, you can see how Scott’s work so far stacks up for me. It’s hard to argue with Alien being top-tier, while I’m higher on Black Hawk Down and especially The Martian than most. That being said, I don’t quite love Blade Runner like almost everyone else. So, of the 29 flicks he’s made to date, there’s a real grab bag quality to things. Curious where Gladiator and its sequel Gladiator II fall? You’re about to find out…
Here now is how I would rank the films of Ridley Scott. Behold:
29. Exodus: Gods and Kings
28. 1492: Conquest of Paradise
27. Robin Hood
26. A Good Year
25. Someone to Watch Over Me
24. The Counselor
23. Body of Lies
22. House of Gucci
21. White Squall
20. Legend
19. Kingdom of Heaven
18. All the Money in the World
17. Alien: Covenant
16. Hannibal
15. Black Rain
14. Prometheus
13. Napoleon
12. The Duelists
11. American Gangster
10. Gladiator II
9. G.I. Jane
7. Gladiator
6. Thelma & Louise
5. Blade Runner
4. Matchstick Men
3. Black Hawk Down
2. The Martian
1. Alien
Cinematography by Derek Vanlint
What are your favorite Ridley Scott films? Let us know!
Remember when The Counselor was considered a serious awards contender in the lead-up to its release? I still recall more than a few pundits and prediction sites putting it up as the indisputable frontrunner back in the summer of 2013.
Oh yes, I remember that…