“At my signal, unleash hell”. Ridley Scott’s latest, Gladiator II, is in cinemas this week and, at the age of 86, is one of our finest exports. With a career that spans six decades and no less than 59 credits as director on IMDB, we thought we’d attempt to pick out our top five Ridley Scott movies. Here goes.
Gladiator (2002)
We’ll kick off with arguably his crowning glory, 2000s multiple Oscar-winning epic Gladiator. While Ridley scored a nomination for the film, he sadly didn’t pick up the gong (that year it went to Steven Soderbergh for the brilliant drama Traffic). Its star, Russell Crowe, did score some gold, though, picking up his Academy Award for Best Actor. 24 years on, and it still rocks – from Oliver Reed’s final role (he died part way through filming) to the breakneck action sequences in the famous Colosseum. Ridders put the swords and sandals epic back on the map, and decades on it still commands and warrants that big-budget sequel.
Blade Runner (1982)
While not my thing when it came out back in the 1980s, Blade Runner is one that recently crept back up on me after Denis Villeneuve’s sequel exploded on the screen a couple of years back. This is Scott at the top of his game, creating such a visual marvel that still stands up today. The dystopian Los Angeles of the future and that famous opening shot show off the Ridley Scott that we would come to know in the years following the release of this marvel. Come for the impressive visuals, stay for the dominating performances from Harrison Ford and the late, great Rutger Hauer.
Related: ‘Gladiator II’ review
Thelma & Louise (1992)
A change in genre for this ’90s gem and perhaps Scott’s best work, in a way and no less thrilling. Apart from the two amazing performances from Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, this would introduce the world to a certain Mr. Brad Pitt. Callie Khouri’s brilliant script about two woman on the run in America is one of the best road movies ever made and a dynamite example of Scott’s range as a filmmaker. Oh, and there’s also that magnificent ending.
The Martian (2015)
The most recent film on our list sees Ridley return to sci-fi for this remarkable version of Andy Weir’s fantastic novel. Matt Damon is stuck on Mars after being left behind and the film shows NASA trying to bring him back on home. After debuting at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, The Martian would be released a couple of months’ later. It would become Scott’s highest grossing movie ever with a whopping $630 million-plus in box-office receipts worldwide.
Alien (1979)
Our number one movie on the list comes at no surprise. Alien was, and in my opinion, remains Scott’s stand-out. A timeless classic with every element from performances, creature design and, of course, those bollock-tightening horror sequences from a master at work. It would absolutely put Scott on the map and keep him there for some 45 years. Alien could have been made yesterday and it would still become a classic. It spawned many sequels, prequels and off shoots and none of them, not even Scott’s own entries could better this stone cold classic.
