The name Ridley Scott most often brings to mind an image of the hideous creature from Alien (which was actually designed by the brilliant sci-fi artist H.R. Giger). However, while Alien and the subsequent installments in the Alien series are probably the films most often associated with Ridley Scott, itโs far from the only notable work that this iconic director has put out.
In fact, Scott has announced that the epic historical drama Napoleon will be premiering in November of 2023 and will star Joaquin Phoenix as the French commander. He also recently directed the based-on-a-true-story film House of Gucci, which starred Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, and Al Pacino.
So, as you can see, Ridley Scottโs ability as a director extends far beyond the horror genre, and heโs still just as relevant now as he was when Alien hit theaters in 1979. The England-born director, now age 85, is still making incredible films and working with some of Hollywoodโs finest actors. And to think heโs been making movies for over 40 years! Truly, Ridley Scott deserves to be counted among the most influential film directors of all time, and we hope to see many more movies from him before his career comes to an end.
So, in honor of one of historyโs greatest film directors, letโs take a look back at Ridley Scottโs amazing career and try to identify the six best Ridley Scott movies heโs ever made.
1. Alien
Of course, I had to include the 1979 sci-fi horror film Alien on this list. Itโs the film that really put Scott on the map, and its cultural influence cannot be overstated. In fact, in 2002, Alien was deemed โculturally, historically, or aesthetically significantโ by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry. Indeed, Alien was a major moment in entertainment history. The way in which this film uses silence, the horrifying design of the monster, and the attention to detail employed in this film make it an obvious choice for one of the best sci-fi or horror films ever made.
Alien starred Tom Skerritt as Dallas, the captain of the Nostromo, a spaceship that receives a signal from a nearby moon. This film was also a major breakthrough in the career of Sigourney Weaver, who played Ripley, the shipโs warrant officer. As you probably already know, a vicious alien creature makes its way onto the ship and hunts down the crew.
2. Black Hawk Down
The 2001 film Black Hawk Down is undoubtedly one of the best war movies of all time. This movie is based on the 1999 non-fiction book of the same name by Mark Bowden, which details the U.S. militaryโs 1993 raid on Mogadishu, Somalia, and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed in enemy territory. Honestly, watching this film is a good history lesson as most Americans have no knowledge of the U.S. militaryโs involvement in the Somali Civil War.
Black Hawk Down features an ensemble cast, including Josh Harnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, and Ewen Bremner. The film won Best Film Editing and Best Sound at the Academy Awards, and Ridley Scott was nominated in the Best Director category for the film. Black Hawk Down was also praised for the way it portrayed the actual experiences of combat troops rather than trivializing violence for entertainment.
3. Blade Runner
The 1982 film Blade Runner was another major moment in the history of the science-fiction genre that Ridley Scott managed to direct just three years after the premier of Alien in 1979. Blade Runner was a film adaption of the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (one of the greatest sci-fi authors of all time). The film starred Harrison Ford as burnt-out cop Rick Deckard, a man tasked with locating a group of dangerous androids who have illegally come to Earth from another planet.
However, these androids are nearly identical to humans in every way. So, in order to determine whether theyโre androids or humans, Deckard must administer the Voight-Kampff test. If they fail the test, then the androids will be โretiredโ forever. The film was a bit misunderstood when it first hit theaters. However, as time has gone on, the public has gained more and more appreciation for Blade Runner as a piece of art and film. With language models like ChatGPT in the news today, this movie is a great film about AI and what happens when androids can exist among us unseen.
4. Gladiator
While Ridley Scott is perhaps most well-known for his work in the sci-fi genre, heโs also created some incredible films in the epic historical drama genre. And his most famous work of this kind is probably the 2000 movie Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe, Connie Nielsen, and Joaquin Phoenix. This film is an action-packed masterpiece with quotable line after quotable line. And itโs probably the most exciting film ever made about Ancient Rome.
Russell Crowe portrays Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Hispano-Roman legatus whose wife and child are killed by Commodusโs forces. Commodus (portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix) then forces Maximus into slavery. The rest of the film is really just Maximus kicking ass in the Colosseum and plotting to overthrow Commodus and liberate Rome from the clutches of this brutish emperor. If you like sword fighting scenes, then youโll love Gladiator.
5. Thelma & Louise
The 1991 film Thelma & Louise made cinematic history, both as a landmark in the feminist film movement but also as a film that defied any genre. Thelma & Louise, which was written by Callie Khouri and directed by Ridley Scott, was a drama film, an adventure film, and somewhat of a romantic comedy. Susan Sarandon starred as Louise Sawyer alongside Geena Davis as Thelma Dickinson, and the two of them delivered one of the most memorable buddy performances in the history of film.
Callie Khouri won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and Ridley Scott received a nomination in the Best Director category for this film. And, like Alien, Thelma & Louise was also selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Thelma and Lousie are two of the most lovable characters in any movie ever, and their entire adventure culminates in them kissing at the end of the movie, which was a major moment for the LGBTQ+ film industry.
6. American Gangster
Further displaying that Ridley Scott can succeed in every genre, the 2007 crime drama American Gangster is fictionally based on the life and crimes of Frank Lucas (whoโs portrayed by Denzel Washington), an American drug lord in the 1960s and 1970s who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War. Lucas is hunted down by Newark Detective Richie Roberts (portrayed by Russell Crowe), who’s been assigned as the head of a task force to take Lucas down.
This film featured several other prominent actors, including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Idris Elba. American Gangster also included appearances from rappers Common and RZA. This film earned Ridley Scott a nomination for Best Director and Denzel Washington a nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama at the Golden Globe Awards. Itโs also widely considered to be one of the best performances of Denzel Washingtonโs career. And, while American Gangster isnโt all that accurate, itโs still a great introduction to the figure of Frank Lucas, one of the most notorious criminals in U.S. history.