Rank Em’ – Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott might not be on the top of everyone’s lists of “Favorite Director’s,” but he has quite the resume when you start to break it all down. Personally, I was bigger fan of his brother Tony, who tragically took his own life back in 2012. But, it’s hard not to appreciate what Ridley Scott has done in his long career, even for those like me who liked his brother more. And ironically, out of the 10 movie posters I have hanging on my walls, two of them are from director’s with the last name of Scott. It’s true, both brothers are represented, as I have Ridley’s “Gladiator” and Tony’s “Top Gun” posters’ hanging proudly.
Ridley Scott has been in the game since 1977, the same year that I was born. That makes me old and him older. But, from the very beginning, Scott was not playing around as his debut film that year won at the Cannes Film Festival. Just two years later, his second film “Alien” came out and since then has been consistently praised and considered one of the greatest films of all time. Impressive, and yet he was just getting started in a career that I would describe as somewhat legendary. Having directed 27 films and produced another 40, Scott doesn’t just put his name on anything, making the task of ranking his best a tad bit more challenging. But, with his new TV series currently airing on HBO Max, I felt there was no better time than now than to rank his best five.
#5 – “Alien” (1979) – You know it’s tough when this film is ranked fifth, but that’s exactly where it landed for yours truly. And believe it or not, it almost didn’t make the list as I nearly put “Thelma & Louise” here, a film that many people have no clue Scott directed. To this day, I still can’t believe he was the one behind the camera given he really hasn’t done anything like it since then. But, it was a great film for what it was and who knows, we might not have had Brad Pitt without it, given it was one of the first films people noticed him in. As for “Alien,” it’s hard to not have it in any best of list given what it did for the industry and even sci-fi films. Like a lot of films back then, what came after it almost looms just as large as the film itself. Spawning a franchise full of not only sequels and even two prequels, “Alien” also brought novels, toys, video games, and comics into the forefront. So when we talk about the impact and really success of this film, you can’t forget that. Sure, most will remember Sigourney Weaver and Tom Skerritt, who both became instant stars, but this was all about director Ridley Scott. He cut his teeth with this film and given its success, was able to pretty much do whatever he wanted.
#4 – “American Gangster” (2007) – It looks like I’m going in alphabetical order, but I swear I’m not. Some might not even remember this film, but trust me when I say it truly was one of Ridley Scott’s best. Even now it doesn’t get enough credit and I’m not sure why given who was involved. Sure, Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington led the cast, but then you had the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin, Ruby Dee, Idris Elba and John Hawkes supporting. That’s quite the laundry list of talent and par for the course for Ridley Scott, who tends to get anyone he wants for his films. And to me, they all fit nicely into the well-adapted story by Steven Zaillian, who also wrote the Academy Award winning script for “Schindler’s List.” I don’t know, I just remember watching this film and thinking how well done it was overall; writing, directing,etc. Hell, the performances by Crowe and Washington alone were Oscar-worthy, but neither were nominated. Oddly, these two have quite the history when it comes to Oscar snubs and surprising victories yet here, neither found the ballot. The late/great Ruby Dee did and probably should have won, but somehow Tilda Swinton did for her part in “Michael Clayton.” So for the genre it exists in and the cast that helped make it was it was, it was easy for me to include it here as one of Ridley Scott’s best.
#3 – “Black Hawk Down” (2001) – I had a hard time placing this film here as it might be my overall favorite Ridley Scott film. Maybe it was the story or maybe it was the timing of it, given it was released in theaters’ three and a half months after the events of 9/11. But, this film absolutely embodied the feelings of so many Americans who couldn’t wait to avenge what happened that famed Tuesday in September that year. This film defied all odds with tremendous realism and emotion, all the while supporting the story, which was based off Mark Bowden’s 1999 non-fiction book of the same name, about the 1993 raid in Mogadishu. It’s one of those films that is so powerful yet still rewatchable despite the unparalleled realism. And that was all Ridley Scott, who was able to turn the focus primarily on the mission without getting caught up in the lives of each and every soldier involved. With unbelievable action sequences and battle scenes, “Black Hawk Down” set a new standard of how dazed and confused combat like this can be, a fact I still would put to test with any new films like it today.
#2 – “Blade Runner” (1982) – Ah, the legend of filmmaking has arrived. For those that don’t know, “Blade Runner” is not just an ordinary science-fiction film. Sure, it has all the elements, but this film was so much more at a time where we really were not seeing anything like it. In fact, I remember taking a film class in college and learning how the style of this film helped influence an entire genre that still exists today. Some call it Tech Noir, which combines classic film noir with science fiction, but really it’s just a darker version of sci-fi where technology is used to threaten reality. And it doesn’t take long to see that with this film, which was so well shot and put together that you almost forget it was made back in the early eighties. Yes, the dialogue is weak and choppy in parts, but Harrison Ford helps absolve some of that when he could. Add in all the rain and futuristic backdrops, this film was just so cool to watch from start to finish. Quite simply, from a cinematography stand point, there’s no better film to study given all the different lighting and color tones. And what’s cool is how the film’s overall look still holds up today, which is ridiculous given it’s been 38 years.
#1 – “Gladiator” (2000) – I know, big shocker this film landed here, but hey, it still deserves praise. I just can’t believe it’s been 20 years since it came out. People forget how big it was and how it dominated the conversation during award season. It won Best Film/Picture at the Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards and Golden Globes after earning over $460 million at the box office. Ridley Scott should have won Best Director too, but that was instead given to Steven Soderbergh for “Traffic,” which I still don’t understand. Just look at the five films I just ranked. I would have given Scott the Oscar for directing at least once, maybe twice. Oh well, maybe he will get one before he dies, but know that what he did behind the camera for this film was unbelievable. His vision is unique, but what I like about it is how he tends to focus on things you wouldn’t always expect. A good example of that is when Scott focuses in on Russell Crowe’s hands as he walks through a field. He just has a way of driving your attention to things you wouldn’t normally look at. Visually though, this film definitely earned its Oscar, as it’s hard to top what they did on multiple levels. The backdrops alone were incredible, allowing each word spoken to feel that much bigger. So I credit Scott for realizing that so he could maximize what his cast was there to do. Most know that Russell Crowe won the Oscar for Best Actor, but some may not realize he shouldn’t had been alone. His co-star Joaquin Phoenix should have won for playing Marcus Aurelius, a performance that gives me chills every time I see it. Let’s face it though, “Gladiator” is atop this list because of Ridley Scott, a man who I think will be known as one of the best of his craft when it’s all said and done.