There are many things that can be said about Ridley Scott as a filmmaker, and his immense body of work. He’s been making feature films for close to 50 years now, and is well-known for his ability to put out a new movie every one to two years, and for his willingness to make movies across very different genres. Not even foray into every genre has been a success, of course, but the variety makes his filmography a very interesting one to explore and dissect.
Since 1977 (when Scott himself was already 40 years old), he’s worked at a steady enough rate to direct a total of 27 feature films, with 2023’s Napoleon set to be his 28th. His filmography is filled with entries both good and bad, and everything in between. Below are his ten finest films, ranked great to greatest.
10 ‘The Duellists’ (1977)
Ridley Scott’s very first film had a period setting and a decent amount of action, though its personal story and relatively low budget means it can’t be called a full-on epic. The film in question is The Duellists, and it centers on two French Army lieutenants who have a years-long rivalry, challenging each other to numerous duels throughout the early 1800s.
It’s the kind of introspective historical war/drama movie that should appeal to fans of Stanley Kubrick’sBarry Lyndon (though that one does have an epic runtime). The Duellists is a small film, but it’s very satisfying and well-made for a debut feature, and is also noteworthy for being partially set at the same point in history that Scott’s upcoming Napoleon will cover.
9 ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ (2005)
As long as you watch the director’s cut, Kingdom of Heaven is up there as one of Ridley Scott’s best movies, and easily one of his very best historical epics. It follows a blacksmith getting wrapped up in the holy wars during the Crusades, which were a series of huge battles fought in medieval times over various religions.
The director’s cut increases the theatrical cut’s runtime by 50 minutes, taking it over the three-hour-mark, and transforming Kingdom of Heaven into a true epic. As it turns out, this extra time was needed to ensure the story made sense, and that the characters could be sufficiently fleshed out. Without the director’s cut, Kingdom of Heaven is a series of well-photographed big battle scenes interspersed with confusing character interactions, but with the director’s cut, it becomes a genuinely great film.
8 ‘The Last Duel’ (2021)
The Last Duel boasts a fantastic cast that includes Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck. The latter two also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nicole Holofcener, and the film’s another historical epic for Ridley Scott, featuring battle scenes, complex themes, and a tense climax that the whole movie expertly builds to.
Despite all these things going for it – and the movie itself being very good – it did notoriously bad at the box office, perhaps partly due to COVID, and partly due to it just not being the right time for a historical epic to come out. It is also a confronting and sometimes challenging film to watch, but it has a great deal to say, discusses things that are still relevant to this day, and is an incredibly compelling and interestingly presented film that ranks among Scott’s very best.
7 ‘American Gangster’ (2007)
Russell Crowe is one of the stars of American Gangster, but it’s probably Denzel Washington who steals the show here (as he so often does). Washington plays a successful heroin smuggler importing drugs into America during the Vietnam War, with Crowe playing a detective who’s consistently on his trail.
It’s the kind of crime/drama story with a period setting that Martin Scorsese thrives at making, but as it turns out, Ridley Scott can make that kind of movie very well, too. It should also be noted that he does it without this feeling like it borrows too heavily from Scorsese in any way; more just that there are some surface similarities, and that those who enjoy movies like Goodfellas and Casino will probably find American Gangster compelling, too.
6 ‘The Martian’ (2015)
The Martian is indeed a work of science-fiction, but it’s notably less horror-focused or deadly than other Ridley Scott sci-fi movies, such as those connected to the Alien series. A testament to this is the fact that Sean Bean’s character in this film doesn’t even die, and that The Martian also somehow won “Best Comedy” at the Golden Globes (okay, that decision was admittedly mocked pretty hard).
The film itself tells a survival story set in space, following a man who’s left on Mars by himself, and has to survive on his own while trying to figure out a way to contact those back on Earth. It’s a compelling and very entertaining crowd-pleaser of a film, and another ambitious, engaging, and spectacular-looking sci-fi movie from the 2010s, joining the ranks of 2014’s Interstellarand 2013’s Gravity.
5 ‘Black Hawk Down’ (2001)
Ridley Scott’s no stranger to wars and large-scale conflicts set hundreds – or even thousands – of years in the past, but Black Hawk Down is something different altogether. It’s a fast-paced war movie set in 1993, following the real-life story of the U.S. military’s raid in Mogadishu that led to a Black Hawk helicopter getting shot down in enemy territory.
What follows is a desperate and deadly rescue mission, given the soldiers are deadset on “leaving no man behind.” It’s easily one of the most intense war movies of all time, with visceral scenes of combat that are effective in conveying the ferocity and danger faced by those engaged in conflict. It’s bound to get one’s heart racing, and is an overall immense technical achievement of a film that still holds up some 20+ years on from release.
4 ‘Thelma & Louise’ (1991)
A bittersweet yet life-affirming feminist road movie, Thelma & Louise is best known for its bold and memorable ending, but it’s so much more than just that. It follows two women who go on the run together after shooting a man in self-defense, with their bond growing as they drive off into the heart of America, avoiding the law all the while.
It succeeds in crossing into several genres, and is paced extremely well, with the momentum offered by the fact they’re always driving somewhere being utilized to great effect. It’s also a movie that boasts career-best performances from stars Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, with a solid supporting cast that includes Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, and Brad Pitt.
3 ‘Gladiator’ (2000)
There’s no question about it: Gladiator is one of the greatest action movies of all time, Ridley Scott’s best historical epic, and his best movie that isn’t a work of science-fiction. It tells a simple yet engrossing story of one man’s quest for revenge after he’s betrayed, his family’s murdered, and he’s forced into slavery and made to fight as a gladiator for audience amusement.
It’s also the greatest movie Scott and Russell Crowe made together, with the former getting nominated for Best Director at the Oscars, and the latter winning Best Actor. Joaquin Phoenix was also Oscar-nominated for the villainous supporting role he played in the film, with one thing that makes Napoleon (2023) an anticipated film being that it’s the first time Phoenix and Scott have collaborated since Gladiator.
2 ‘Alien’ (1979)
The original Alien is such a classic that merely saying it’s one of the best sci-fi movies of all time might run the risk of underselling it. It’s one of those beyond-iconic films where it’s so beloved and so influential that it’s easy to take for granted, especially because on the surface, it is a deceptively simple movie.
It follows a dangerous alien lifeform getting set loose on the unsuspecting members of a spacecraft, plunging them into a nightmare where their odds of survival are remarkably slim. It has an incredible sense of atmosphere, perfectly builds tension throughout, and makes great use of the fact that sometimes, seeing and hearing nothing, but knowing it’s there, is scarier than anything else. It was also a star-making role for Sigourney Weaver, and paved the way for Aliens(1986) to be one of the greatest sequels of all time.
1 ‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
Though it wasn’t properly appreciated upon release, Blade Runner’s reputation has been continually built up in the years since 1982 to the point where it’s now among the most acclaimed films of all time. It’s set in a moody version of Los Angeles in 2019, and follows a blade runner named Rick Deckard who’s tasked with hunting down a group of replicants who have gone rogue, and are looking for ways to increase their intentionally programmed short life spans.
Science-fiction rarely gets as thought-provoking, emotional, and just all-around entertaining as Blade Runner. It boasts some of the greatest production design and visual effects shots of (arguably) all time, and is just phenomenal to look at and experience; it really manages to transport viewers to its world. It’s a film that offers so much, and does so with next-to-no flaws, making it worthy to be selected as the greatest single film Ridley Scott’s ever directed.