Ridley Scott’s career stretches back to the 1970s, and he has directed plenty of crowdpleasing blockbusters over the years that have a lot of rewatch value. Ridley Scott’s best movies encompass a wide range of genres. He started his career with the sci-fi classics Alien and Blade Runner, but he later earned a reputation for historical epics like Gladiator, and he has also directed crime thrillers, comedies and the odd fantasy movie.
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Ridley Scott has a track record of box office success, proving that his movies are often hugely popular. Naturally, this means that they’re often worth watching many times. Whether he’s directing a sci-fi movie, a historical epic or something else, his movies usually have gorgeous production values, which means that it can often take multiple rewatches to take in every detail.
10 Hannibal (2001)
Ridley Scott Takes Over From Jonathan Demme
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Hannibal CrimeHorrorThriller
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*Availability in US Release Date February 9, 2001 Cast Anthony Hopkins , Julianne Moore , Ray Liotta , Frankie R. Faison , Giancarlo Giannini , Francesca Neri
10 years after winning an Oscar for his performance in The Silence of the Lambs, Anthony Hopkins returned to the role of Hannibal Lecter. 2001’s Hannibal and 2002’s Red Dragon may not reach the lofty standards of The Silence of the Lambs, but they are still worth watching for fans of the crime genre. It’s a joy to see Hopkins stepping back into his most famous role after a decade away.
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Although Hopkins delivers a commanding performance as usual, neither Jonathan Demme nor Jodie Foster returned for the sequel. Julianne Moore takes on the role of Clarice Starling, with Ridley Scott in the director’s chair. Hannibal is even more grotesque than its predecessor. It may not be as refined, but it all adds to the legend of Hannibal Lecter, and it has plenty of artistic flourishes to elevate the lurid subject.
9 The Last Duel (2021)
An Underrated Recent Gem
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7/10 8.8/10 The Last Duel HistoryDrama
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*Availability in US Release Date October 15, 2021 Cast Adam Driver , Michael McElhatton , Harriet Walter , Ben Affleck , Matt Damon , Sam Hazeldine , Nathaniel Parker , Jodie Comer
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Ridley Scott started his career as a director with 1977’s The Duellists, and The Last Duel also follows the feud between two French men in a historical setting. It’s tempting to compare the two movies based on the similarities, but The Last Duel takes place hundreds of years earlier, and the combat is far more brutal and bloody. One thing that both movies share is Scott’s gorgeous recreation of a historical era.
Audiences shouldn’t expect a historical documentary from
The Last Duel,
but it’s a wonderful period drama with a superb cast.
Scott has often stirred controversy with his approach to historical accuracy. He believes in cinematic spectacle even at the expense of stringent accuracy. The Last Duel is based on a true story, which also muddies things a little. Audiences shouldn’t expect a historical documentary from The Last Duel, but it’s a wonderful period drama with a superb cast, and its dismal box office failure doesn’t reflect its quality.
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8 All The Money In The World (2017)
A True-Crime Thriller That Deserves More Love
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6/10 All the Money in the World DramaCrimeDocumentaryMysteryThriller
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*Availability in US Release Date December 21, 2017 Cast Olivia Grant , Michelle Williams , Timothy Hutton , Mark Wahlberg , Teresa Mahoney , Christopher Plummer , Andrew Buchan
All the Money in the World created headlines before it was even released, as Kevin Spacey was fired in a storm of controversy and replaced by Christopher Plummer. This move paid off, as Plummer was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as J. Paul Getty. All the Money in the World is based on the unbelievable true story of the 1973 kidnapping of Getty’s grandson in Rome by an Italian crime syndicate.
The real-world context lends some extra weight to
All the Money in the World.
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The real-world context lends some extra weight to All the Money in the World. It’s a tense crime thriller that takes in the media frenzy surrounding the family at the time and the internal conflict that took place behind the scenes. Plummer’s performance deserves the praise that it received at the time, since he certainly doesn’t feel like a hasty replacement, but the entire cast is pivotal in lending All the Money in the World its dramatic thrust.
7 Legend (1985)
Legend Is A Visual Wonder
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Legend AdventureFantasyRomance
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*Availability in US Release Date April 18, 1986 Cast Tom Cruise , Mia Sara , Tim Curry , David Bennent , Alice Playten , Billy Barty , Cork Hubbert
Legend came out before Top Gun, The Color of Money and Rain Man turned Tom Cruise into one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. It was initially viewed as a flop, but as Cruise and Ridley Scott have developed their careers, it has been critically reassessed. Legend is now seen by many as an underrated cult classic, and many of its reviews don’t reflect its considerable charms.
Its intriguing production design invites the audience in, and the gorgeous details are part of what gives it so much rewatch value.
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Legend has taken on a nostalgic appeal in the decades since its release. Its practical effects are reminiscent of other 1980s fantasy classics like Labyrinth and The Neverending Story, although Legend has a darker tone. Its intriguing production design invites the audience in, and the gorgeous details are part of what gives it so much rewatch value. The 2002 Director’s Cut is a big improvement.
6 Matchstick Men (2003)
Matchstick Men Is One Of Scott’s Funniest Movies
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10/10 Matchstick Men ComedyCrimeDocumentaryDramaThriller
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*Availability in US Release Date September 12, 2003 Cast Nicolas Cage , Alison Lohman , Sam Rockwell , Bruce Altman , Bruce McGill
Ridley Scott doesn’t direct many comedies, and this is part of what makes Matchstick Men stand out from the rest of his filmography. Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell make a delightful pair as two zany con artists, each with their own foibles and shortcomings, and they are given a script which makes the most of their talents. Matchstick Men is just as funny and intelligent on a second watch.
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While
Matchstick Men
is unusual for a Ridley Scott movie in many ways, it’s a fun comedy that deserves more love.
Matchstick Men is all about deception, but it still manages to deliver a brilliant twist ending. Unlike some other movies with twists, Matchstick Men is enjoyable the second time round, as it reveals its hidden tricks scene-by-scene. While Matchstick Men is unusual for a Ridley Scott movie in many ways, it’s a fun comedy that deserves more love, thanks to a lively script and some strong performances.
5 Blade Runner (1982)
One Of Scott’s True Classics Helped Shape The Sci-fi Genre
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9/10 11 9/10 Blade Runner DramaSci-FiThriller
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*Availability in US Release Date June 25, 1982 Cast Harrison Ford , Rutger Hauer , Sean Young , Edward James Olmos , M. Emmet Walsh , Daryl Hannah , William Sanderson , Joe Turkel
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Blade Runner is just as captivating and visually stunning as ever, partly due to the simple fact that sci-fi movies have been trying to emulate its style for decades. Ridley Scott’s seminal sci-fi thriller has influenced countless other directors with its murky, grim dystopia, both aesthetically and thematically. The plot innovates on many film noir conventions, updating the genre for the 21st century and beyond.
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Blade Runner is a great detective story, even before considering the added depth of the sci-fi concept. Harrison Ford delivers one of his finest performances as he trudges through a strange and foreboding world, culminating in a mystery about his character’s true identity that urges the audience to watch the whole movie all over again. Blade Runner 2049 was an outstanding legacy sequel without Scott as director, and the franchise is continuing with the TV spinoff Blade Runner 2099.
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4 Gladiator (2000)
There Has Been A New Wave Of Enthusiasm For Ridley Scott’s Best Picture Winner
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10/10 65 9.2/10 Gladiator ActionAdventureDrama
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*Availability in US Release Date May 5, 2000 Cast Russell Crowe , Joaquin Phoenix , Connie Nielsen , Oliver Reed , Richard Harris , Derek Jacobi , Djimon Hounsou , David Schofield , John Shrapnel , Tomas Arana , Ralf Moeller , Spencer Treat Clark , David Hemmings , Tommy Flanagan , Sven-Ole Thorsen , Omid Djalili , Nicholas McGaughey , Chris Kell , Tony Curran , Mark Lewis , John Quinn , Alun Raglan , David Bailie , Chick Allan , David J. Nicholls , Al Hunter Ashton , Billy Dowd , Giannina Facio , Giorgio Cantarini Expand
With the success of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, the original movie from 24 years earlier has been undergoing a resurgence. Fortunately, it’s just as enjoyable as ever. Russell Crowe’s commanding performance is a key factor in Gladiator‘s appeal. He injects every scene with the grandeur and intensity that the setting requires, and he’s also great to watch in the scenes inside the arena.
Gladiator
shows Scott firing on all cylinders, from the iconic opening battle to the final duel with Commodus.
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Gladiator is one of the movies that cemented Scott’s reputation as a master of large-scale action, especially historical battles. He has many other historical epics, but as 2023’s Napoleon shows, these aren’t all universally beloved. Gladiator shows Scott firing on all cylinders, from the iconic opening battle to the final duel with Commodus. He earned a Best Director nomination for Gladiator, just one of the movie’s 12 nominations.
3 Thelma & Louise (1991)
The Road Trip Classic Is Both Endearing And Tragic
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Thelma & Louise DramaThrillerCrimeAdventure
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*Availability in US Release Date May 24, 1991 Cast Susan Sarandon , Geena Davis , Harvey Keitel , Michael Madsen , Christopher McDonald , Stephen Tobolowsky , Brad Pitt , Timothy Carhart
Thelma and Louise doesn’t usually get discussed alongside the likes of Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator in the debate over Ridley Scott’s best movies. It’s much smaller in scale than these epics, but Scott shows that he’s a master of his craft in the cross-country crime thriller. Thelma and Louise couples an exciting chase with some gut-wrenching personal stakes, and it has been hailed as a modern feminist classic.
Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis strike up a brilliant dynamic in
Thelma and Louise.
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Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis strike up a brilliant dynamic in Thelma and Louise. Each of the two main characters has their own reason for wanting to get away, and their own reason for accepting their grim fate in Thelma and Louise‘s iconic ending. The story also has time for some lighthearted humor, which helps to humanize the bond between the two women. Brad Pitt’s supporting role is another reason to rewatch Thelma and Louise mutliple times.
2 The Martian (2015)
The Martian Blends Drama And Comedy Expertly
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9/10 9/10 The Martian Sci-Fi
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*Availability in US Release Date October 2, 2015 Cast Kristen Wiig , Sean Bean , Matt Damon , Jessica Chastain , Kate Mara
The Martian stars Matt Damon as an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars when his crew believes him to be dead. Ridley Scott follows the story from Mars and Earth as NASA tries to bring him home, and Mark Watney tries to survive for long enough on the inhospitable planet. It’s a dramatic sci-fi story, but The Martian is also filled with humor, making it a great movie to rewatch.
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It’s a dramatic sci-fi story, but
The Martian
is also filled with humor, making it a great movie to rewatch.
The Martian offers an uplifting tale about humanity’s perseverance in the face of incalculable odds. Mark’s video diary is one way that the movie keeps things light as he faces endless hardships alone on Mars, but the soundtrack and the fractious dynamics among the NASA hierarchy are also entertaining. It has repeatedly been criticized for its scientific inaccuracies and half-truths, but wading into the nitty-gritty misses the point of The Martian.
1 Alien (1979)
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10/10 13 9.8/10 Alien Sci-FiHorror
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*Availability in US Release Date June 22, 1979 Cast Sigourney Weaver , Tom Skerritt , John Hurt , Veronica Cartwright , Harry Dean Stanton , Ian Holm , Yaphet Kotto , Bolaji Badejo
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Alien was Ridley Scott’s big breakout movie after the critical success of The Duellists, and it remains one of his most influential and entertaining contributions to film. The sci-fi horror classic has many elements of a slasher movie, as Ellen Ripley sees her crewmates on board the Nostromo being picked off one-by-one by an enigmatic creature. There’s no shortage of iconic scenes to enjoy, from the chestburster scene to the final confrontation with the alien on the escape pod.
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Alien‘s practical effects give it a visceral, kinetic feel, but Scott’s direction is also important in ratcheting up the tension and feeding into the mystery of the alien. His vision of the Nostromo feels simultaneously futuristic and rooted in the 1970s. The ensemble cast are also great at providing an immersive and believable atmosphere on board. Few horror movies can make their characters feel so relatable in such a short amount of time, and details like this make Alien a great movie to watch over and over again.
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