The Best of Ridley Scott's filmography

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by wayneklein, Oct 20, 2019.

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  1. wayneklein

    wayneklein Forum Fool Thread Starter

    You can also list the worst and any that fall between the two here as well. Scott can be a visionary and brilliant director but he's also directed some turds.

    For me:

    Best

    The Duelists
    Alien
    Blade Runner
    Black Rain
    Thelma and Louise
    Gladiator (yes, with all of its flaws)
    Kingdom of Heaven (Expanded Director's Cut)
    American Gangster
    Body of Lies
    Prometheus (yes, with all of its flaws)
    The Martian

    Lots of worst as well:

    Hannibal
    The Counselor
    1492
    Legend (although visually stunning, narrative mess).
     
    alexpop likes this.
  2. malcolm reynolds

    malcolm reynolds Handsome, Humble, Genius

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    Alien and then Blade Runner, after that his career goes off a cliff faster than Thelma And Louise.
     
  3. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    Anyone who hasn't seen the Director's (or "Roadshow") edit of KINGDOM OF HEAVEN needs to put aside four hours for that film.

    This is not a case of elongated scenes and minutiae clipped for brevity. Entire characters were excised from the story, as were important relationships between those characters. Sybilla becomes a much more prominent character instead of a trophy wife, and her decisions make sense, instead of being the whims of a fickle philanderer. Bailyn's background is clarified.

    Counter-intuitively, all the extra material makes the film more cohesive and structured. The theatrical release most people saw is a comparatively uninvolving highlight reel. The full version is one of Scott's five best.
     
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2019
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  4. wayneklein

    wayneklein Forum Fool Thread Starter

    Indeed, when I saw it I thought I was seeing a film missing a large part of the story. I'd also say that Black hawk Down (to a lesser extent) also benefits from the longer version.
     
  5. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    IMO, the difference between the theatrical and home edits of KINGDOM OF HEAVEN are the greatest I've observed in a recent film.

    And speaking of BLACK HAWK DOWN, why is that not on the poll?
     
  6. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    Depends how big of a net you want "best" to cover.

    Good catch. And that would certainly get one of my votes.
     
  7. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    I picked..,
    Kingdom Of Heaven
    &
    The Duelists
     
  8. razerx

    razerx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sonoma California
    The usual choices plus Matchstick Men. Thelma and Louise is pretty good but nothing about the characters would let me to believe the ending.
     
  9. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Actually when I look at his resume I only see two biggie films. Not that impressive.
     
  10. Holerbot6000

    Holerbot6000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    I kinda thought that too - a lot of very expensive so-so movies and a few really good ones. Blade Runner and Alien will always be it for me.
     
    Motorcity supernaut likes this.
  11. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Downhill a bit since 1982 isn't it.

    Exodus: Of Gods and Kings has to be one of the worst cast films ever in the modern era. WTF was he thinking?
     
    spindly likes this.
  12. Steve Baker

    Steve Baker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbia, Maryland
    Agree. Christian Bale is highly overrated.
     
  13. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    It's frustrating to be a RS fan. Some of his films really appeal to me, while others do not. Very spotty. I voted for Alien, Prometheus and Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down is another of my favorites.

    I think I have tried Kingdom of Heaven extended version, which didn't do a whole lot to alter my initial opinion. I have some major problems with this film, primarily the historical accuracy issue, but also I don't think Legolas was strong enough to carry it.

    I know Prometheus invites lots of criticism because of the behavior of the scientists and some other characters, but the ideas in it appeal to me and it is an A/V reference quality achievement.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2019
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  14. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I think Scott made some pretty good films after 1982, but I agree those 2 are easily his peak.

    Only voted for those 2. If I picked a 3rd, it'd probably be "T&L"!
     
    wayneklein likes this.
  15. DPM

    DPM Senior Member

    Location:
    Nevada, USA
    I haven't seen all of his movies, but of those I have viewed I feel that The Duelists, Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Kingdom Of Heaven (long version), and The Martian are his best
     
  16. Greg Gee

    Greg Gee "I tried to change but I changed my mind..."

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    Yeah, I'm a big fan of the epic Director's Cut of Kingdom Of Heaven. It's a much better movie than the theatrical release.
    My picks (limited to 5), in no particular order...
    Kingdom of Heaven DC
    Alien
    White Squall
    Matchstick Men
    The Martian

    Had Blackhawk Down been available, I'd have chosen that over MM.
     
    apesfan likes this.
  17. gabacabriel

    gabacabriel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bristol, UK
    Wow, he's made some real stinkers, hasn't he?

    Mind you, Alien and Blade Runner ARE still classics....
     
    CDFanatic likes this.
  18. vivresavie

    vivresavie Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sweden
    Best 3

    The Duelists
    Legend (DC)
    Alien

    Worst 4

    G.I. Jane
    Hannibal
    Exodus: Of Gods and Kings
    Gladiator
     
  19. carrick doone

    carrick doone Whhhuuuutttt????

    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    I'm surprised at the amount of films I don't like of his. I rate him pretty highly for 3 stone cold classics (Alien, Bladerunner and Thelma and Louise) and 1 really good film. I think he is such a strong visual filmmaker that if the story isn't there to give him structure he can't gloss over or pull it in. He also seems to need the right actor combination. Think of Alien without John Hurt, Tom Skerrit, Yaphett Kotto or of course Sigourney. Maybe he just does too many films.
     
  20. carrick doone

    carrick doone Whhhuuuutttt????

    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    Is there honestly a better version of Legend on the Director's Cut? I loved the film at the time for it's visuals and I've always loved fairy tales but I actually don't think it's a good film.
     
  21. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    Those are two very good, often overlooked ones.

    I also really like the DC of Kingdom Of Heaven. I don't think Orlando Bloom was a good choice (marketing wise, he probably was I guess), but I gained a much greater appreciation for the movie after the DC.
     
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  22. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    "Legend" is terrible. Both versions are awful!

    Legend [Blu-Ray] (1985)
     
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  23. CDFanatic

    CDFanatic Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver Island
    Blade Runner & Alien are a couple of my favorite movies. Blade Runner is my favorite.
     
  24. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Watched
    Kingdom Of Heaven
    the other day.
    Slo mo thankfully not much, but didn’t notice it before.
     
  25. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Picked the Duelists, Kingdom Of Heaven.. 2 recent Alien films..Hannibal.
     
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