Ridley Me This: Can Ridley Scott Make Good?
Ridley Scott is a brilliant filmmaker. From the ‘70s to the early ‘00s, he dazzled us time and again with big screen spectacles. Alien was one of my first horror experiences, and shares credit with Blade Runner for introducing me to, and educating me in science fiction. Ridley Scott’s early work simply epitomised how movies are made. If you want to create an epic action film, you look to Gladiator for guidance.
It was somewhere around Kingdom of Heaven in ’05 that his path become slippery, and some traction was lost. Matchstick Men came two years previous, confusing though exciting us with its complex plot of conmen conning conmen. It seemed to start a trend. Whereas the early films were clear and well executed, now came a day of twists and turns that managed to confound instead of amaze the cinema-goers. American Gangster and Body of Lies were comparatively forgettable affairs, and it certainly appeared that Scott’s vision had taken a Thelma and Louise style tumble.