He is famed for his organisational skills and rapid shooting pace on films which never run over time or over budget (usually while in the depths of post-production for one he is well on his way preparing for his next), not to mention racking over 100 varied producing credits with Scott Free Productions, the company he founded with his late fellow filmmaker brother Tony.

Throughout his directorial career Sir Ridley has displayed a fascination with exploring human nature and telling stories with complex and formidable women at their centre, and over a 45-plus year career he has tried his hand at most genres, always bringing distinct and atmospheric visual sensibilities with him.

How do you even begin to put such an impressive body of work in any kind of justifiable order? Well, we at The Film Magazine are certainly going to try. So put on your favourite Hans Zimmer soundtrack, draw the blinds to cast some interesting shadows, and turn on the smoke machine. Based on each film’s critical and audience reception, and their wider impacts on popular culture, here is Every Ridley Scott Directed Film Ranked from worst to best.

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28. The Counsellor (2013)

In an effort to buy himself out of trouble, a lawyer (Michael Fassbender) agrees to facilitate the theft of a Cartel drug shipment on behalf of local kingpin Reiner (Javier Bardem).

Acclaimed novelist Cormac McCarthy writing a script for Ridley Scott sounds like a dream come true, yet The Counsellor was anything but. The characters are all broad strokes, amoral archetypes, or, in Bardem’s case, cartoon characters. No one changes or learns anything, and the smattering of kinky sex and splatter violence is transparently aiming for shock value.

By squandering an intriguing premise and an impressive cast, The Counsellor ends up as an amateurish, sleazy and boring crime film with, particularly disappointing for McCarthy (a writer famed for pristine penmanship), only a single memorable exchange of dialogue.

27. Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

A re-telling of the Old Testament story of Moses (Christian Bale), an adopted prince of the Pharaoh leading the Israelite rebellion and escape from their slave-masters in Egypt.

The animated The Prince of Egypt did this story so much better, or at least executed it in a more emotionally compelling way. Ridley Scott might be Mr Historical Epic, but in adapting a Biblical story he bit off more than he could chew.

Even putting aside the uncomfortable look of casting white Europeans and their descendants to populate a story of Egypt and the Middle East (this was only half a decade ago and everybody should’ve known better) Exodus never seems to work out exactly what it wants to be; grounded or fantastical, spiritual or cynical, faithful to the Old Testament or out to deconstruct it; it’s all of these and none of them at the same time.

26. Robin Hood (2010)

Returning from the Crusades, Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe in his fourth collaboration with Ridley Scott) leads a series of uprisings in the villages surrounding Nottingham in protest of the cruelty of the Crown’s treatment of the peasant classes.

Who decided Monsieur Hood should be gritty? Give me a fox or Errol Flynn any day.

This take on the classic English folk tale had all the action chops but never managed to present Robin as an engaging character with compelling or relatable struggles.

Crowe’s accent going on a walking tour of the British Isles was distracting to say the least, and while Mark Strong and Oscar Isaac are fun baddies to boo at, Cate Blanchett is largely wasted as a more active than usual Marian, the copious convoluted flashbacks only serving to muddy the characters and their struggles. 

Recommended for you: Once More with Feeling – 10 More of the Best Remakes

25. Someone to Watch Over Me (1987)

Newly-promoted NYPD detective Mike Keegan (Tom Berenger) is assigned to protect socialite Claire Gregory (Mimi Rogers) who has witnessed a brutal mob assassination, but finds himself helplessly falling for her.

This is a pretty dull, by-the-numbers noir-thriller enlivened only slightly by Scott’s usual visual flair and Lorraine Bracco’s sturdy supporting performance which manages to make the usually thankless role of cop’s wife fairly interesting.

You can predict every twist and plot turn coming at you a mile off, and all the late 80s fashion and hair is far more terrifying than any violent threats to the protagonists might be.

24. A Good Year (2006)

High-flying British stock trader Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) returns to his family vineyard in France to tie up his late uncle’s estate but falls in love with a simpler way of life and the people he connects with, chiefly waitress and childhood friend Fanny (Marion Cotillard).

Russell Crowe’s first reunion with Scott since Gladiator is a pretty strange beast, all things considered. It’s basically the story of a man with money being humbled, going on a trip down memory lane in summery rural France and trying to recall a more innocent point in his life when things other than wealth mattered to him.

For once Crowe isn’t playing a gruff macho man, he’s got good comic chemistry with Tom Hollander, and the flashbacks featuring Freddie Highmore and Albert Finney are admittedly rather poignant. Sadly Marion Cotillard doesn’t get much of interest to do despite being key to the plot, and Scott seems far less comfortable directing what is essentially a rom-com.

23. Hannibal (2001)

Hannibal Review

A decade after his escape from the asylum, Dr Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) is being pursued not just by the FBI’s Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) but one of his few surviving and highly vengeful victims (Gary Oldman).

It was an almost impossible task, to follow Jonathan Demme’s 1991 masterpiece adapting an inferior book sequel, but Scott did his best with what he was given. Anthony Hopkins has fun with a lot more screen time as Hannibal Lecter, and the whole thing is presented with handsome cinematography and a beautifully orchestrated score from Hans Zimmer, including a meticulous original aria for the sake of a single scene at the opera.

Unfortunately these iconic characters lose a lot of their power and allure, and the whole thing feels over-stuffed, unfocused and unnecessarily gory.

Recommended for you: Hannibal Movies Ranked

They’ve come in many guises over the years, from the monarchical to the Machiavellian, monsters to muscle men, sorcerers, schemers and step-parents. And they have shown levels of genius, incompetence and everything in between in their efforts to thwart our heroes. But they are always without fail ambitious, self-serving and strangely compelling.

In a world of promoting good virtues to children, good must always triumph over evil. And so, Disney villains can’t be left to return and cause havoc another day (unless it’s in an inconsequential direct-to-video sequel) and so usually meet their maker in one of a variety of inventive and sometimes gruesome ways.

If the Disney Princess is the most merchandisable element of the Disney canon, then the villains are a close second and inspire even more fervour among adult fans, perhaps because they’re usually more flawed and interesting than the heroes and especially when so many are (intentionally or not) queer-coded, fabulously designed and played with gusto by talented voice actors giving it their all. 

For this edition of Ranked, we at The Film Magazine have taken every significant villain to be found in Disney animation and ordered them in terms of wickedness, memorability and the threat they represent to our heroes and heroines. So practice your diabolical laughter, rehearse your evil monologue, dust off your best purple attire and enjoy Animated Disney Villains Ranked. 

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36. King Candy – Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

The ruler of arcade racing video game Sugar Rush who is actually Turbo, the resentful title character of a long-disconnected game.

Alan Tudyk has been Disney’s good luck charm in recent years and delivers a manic performance here as a mascot-gone-wrong, but the vocals have to do most of the work to enliven a baddie who’s just not interesting enough to match the heroes.

Demise by: Destroyed by the collapse of Diet Cola Mountain with the addition of Mentos.

35. Prince Hans – Frozen (2013)

A seemingly classic Prince Charming who is actually conspiring to eliminate both heirs to the Arendelle throne and claim it for himself.

Hans is a duplicitous, generic British-accented baddie revealed in the film’s final act, who gets some bonus evil points for taking advantage of Princess Anna’s emotions the way he does, purely to advance himself.

Demise by: Survives but is arrested and banished for his treachery.

Recommended for you: Best Animated Feature Oscar Winners Ranked

34. Alameda Slim – Home on the Range (2004)

An evil cattle rustler and conman who plans to cheat every rancher he can find out of their land.

Randy Quaid’s growling delivery and the character’s hilariously unconvincing Inspector Clouseau-level disguises aside, what makes Alameda Slim stand out is that he’s a rare villain who uses a combination of theft, foreclosure and cow-hypnotising yodelling to get what he wants.

Demise by: Survives, but his schemes and true identity as a rustler are exposed and the reward for his arrest is claimed.

33. Dr Jumba Jookiba – Lilo & Stitch (2002)

An alien mad scientist on the hunt for his dangerous but cute creation on Earth on the orders of the council who imprisoned him for his work.

Dr Jumba is probably the only character who never underestimates the cute blue title character because he was the one who genetically engineered “Experiment 626” and is fully aware of his destructive capabilities. He finds himself lower down this list for being bumbling and for having a late change of heart, eventually helping to protect Stitch when the council’s military arrives to complete his mission with extreme prejudice.

Demise by: Survives to live a fairly happy exile alongside Stitch on Earth.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1937)
Directors: Michael Curtiz, WIlliam Keighley
Screenwriters: Norman Reilly Raine, Seton I. Miller, Rowland Leigh
Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Una O’Connor, Patric Knowles, Eugene Pallette, Alan Hale Sr., Melville Cooper, Ian Hunter, Herbert Mundin, Montagu Love

Before Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott played it as a gritty class uprising blockbuster, and every other attempt became grey and indistinct, Robin Hood films used to be fun. Incredibly, now 85 years old, The Adventures of Robin Hood was a crown jewel in the 1930s and remains impressive even today.

Sir Robin of Locksley (Errol Flynn) chooses the life of an outlaw, fighting on behalf of his Saxon brethren against oppression at the hands of the Norman nobility led by Prince John (Claude Rains) and Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone). When the King of England, Richard the Lionheart (Ian Hunter), is captured returning from the Holy Land Crusades, John and his sycophantic supporters use their king’s captivity as a tenuous excuse to increase taxation and plan to crown him in his brother’s stead. Only Robin Hood and his gang of rebels in Nottingham stand to liberate all of England from tyranny.

This is one of the finest, most dazzling examples of filming in then-revolutionary three-strip Technicolor, using every camera the company had available over the course of their film shoot. Compare it to Errol Flynn and Michael Curtiz’s previous collaboration, the swashbuckling pirate adventure Captain Blood (1935), which has just as much dynamism in its fight scenes and probably just as much attention to period detail but doesn’t pop in quite the same way in black-and-white. The set dressing and costumes here are so eye-catching and more than justify the move to the new medium of colour film. The sheer ambition of building an accurate medieval Nottingham Castle as a full-scale set is mind-boggling in an age of CG-extensions, but it does add an invaluable tactility to the historical action.

Errol Flynn was a born star and a genuine Golden Age action hero but also a loose cannon, and his relationship with director Curtiz was famously volatile. His boisterous personality and old-fashioned, theatrical physicality was perfect to embody this kind of straight arrow (pun intended), brave and bold defender of the people. Modern audiences might struggle to keep a straight face with all the camp hands-on-hips chuckling and thigh-slapping that had since been spoofed affectionately and otherwise in such movies as Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Shrek, but it fits the slightly heightened reality of the film perfectly.

There really isn’t a weak link in the cast, from Flynn and Olivia de Havilland bringing no-acting-required chemistry to Robin and Marian’s romance to scene-stealer Una O’Connor as Marian’s protective lady in waiting Bess. Standing in for the baddies that we love to boo and hiss you get the casual cruelty of Claude Rains’ Prince John, the more cool and calculated malice of Basil Rathbone’s Guy of Gisbourne, and entertaining displays of corruption and cowardice from Montagu Love’s Bishop and Melville Cooper’s Sheriff of Nottingham.

As impressively mounted as the battles are and as memorable as many of the film’s images are, it’s easy to be caught off guard by just how funny this version of Robin Hood can be. Blockbusters before they were blockbusters (which this was, making back almost double its $2 million budget) aimed to please crowds with a bit of everything – excitement, romance, spectacle and plenty of humour. Robin verbally sparring with the nobility in addition to drawing his sword or releasing an arrow at them (“You speak treason” / “Fluently”) is a strategy deployed throughout, and in a particularly fun moment while escaping from his beloved Marian’s tower after a late night tryst, Robin debates for a while which of the guards in the courtyard below will best cushion his fall, in the end settling for the group standing in a circle talking. Having jokes and asides doesn’t cheapen your material, it merely keeps it from getting too monotonous.

The most iconic scene other than the archery contest featuring Robin beating an unbeatable shot by splitting an arrow down the middle (a feat actually achieved in-camera, but not by Flynn) is the climactic sword duel between man in green and the crafty Guy of Gisbourne (accomplished fencer Rathbone definitely had to dial down his skill level in the sword fights to make Flynn look better). Pretty much every movie sword fight since from The Princess Bride to the Star Wars Prequels has been chasing the speed, dexterity and character interplay shown here, their clash throwing exciting expressionist shadows against the castle walls, with the good guy showing chivalry by giving his opponent his sword back after a fall and the bad guy cheating to win.

This film’s take on this iconic character, especially Flynn’s performance, is so memorable that Robin Hood was voted the 18th greatest hero in Hollywood film by the AFI. And yes, it is this movie’s fault that we have confusingly sexy foxes courtesy of Disney’s animated remake with anthropomorphic animals that came along 40 years later.

We’re likely never going to see a production like this again. This was back when the only way to do an epic battle scene between hundreds was to have hundreds of costumed stuntmen (record-breaking at the time) acting out a complicated melee on screen, and the easiest way to have your hero release volleys of arrows at the baddies was to pay your extras wearing extra padding a bonus for each time they were actually hit by the professional archer employed on the film.

The Adventures of Robin Hood is rightly regarded as the definitive version of this centuries-old English folklore story, and in addition to timeless themes of fighting inequality through redistribution of wealth you get some fine performances, lush production design, thrilling sword fights, and (with Robin losing his arrow and some poor stuntman bracing himself for impact) one of the greatest sound effects of all time.

Score: 22/24

The biggest takeaway; Gotti, Holmes & Watson, and The Happytime Murders were probably the three worst major motion pictures of 2018. Each film earned six nominations. John Travolta, Johnny Depp, John C. Reilly (bad year to be a John) and Will Farrell are all nominated in two categories. Fifty Shades Freed’s Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan may have avoided the Worst Screen Combo nomination, but the film’s writing and direction have both captured the Razzcademy’s attention. One final note, I’d like to congratulate Melania Trump as she is the first First Lady to receive a Razzie nomination! Sadly, her husband cannot claim his nomination as a first, as Dubya was nominated in 2004 for Fahrenheit 9/11. I’m rooting for you, Melania. You’re the first Trump to achieve something that doesn’t alienate a large majority of the world’s population.

Without further ado, I’m proud to give you the full list of nominations for the 39th Golden Raspberry Awards!

Worst Picture–

Holmes & Watson

Robin Hood

The Happytime Murders

Gotti

Winchester

Worst Actor-

Johnny Depp (voice only), Sherlock Gnomes

Bruce Willis, Death Wish

Donald J. Trump (as himself), Death of a Nation

John Travolta, Gotti

Will Farrell, Holmes & Watson

Worst Actress-

Melissa McCarthy, The Happytime Murders

Jennifer Garner, Peppermint

Amber Heard, London Fields

Helen Mirren, Winchester

Amanda Seyfried, The Clapper

Worst Remake, Ripoff, or Sequel-

Robin Hood

Holmes & Watson

Death Wish

The Meg

Death of a Nation

Worst Screenplay-

Fifty Shades Freed

Death of a Nation

The Happytime Murders

Gotti

Winchester

Worst Supporting Actor-

Justice Smith, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Jamie Foxx, Robin Hood

John C. Reilly, Holmes & Watson

Ludacris (voice only), Show Dogs

Joel McHale, The Happytime Murders

Worst Supporting Actress-

Kellyanne Conway (as herself), Fahrenheit 11/9

Marcia Gay Harden, Fifty Shades Freed

Melania Trump (as herself), Fahrenheit 11/9

Kelly Preston, Gotti

Jaz Sinclair, Slenderman

Worst Screen Combos-

Johnny Depp & His Fast-Fading Film Career (He’s doing voices for cartoons for kripesakes!), Sherlock Gnomes

Donald J. Trump & His Self-Perpetuating Pettiness, Death of a Nation and Fahrenheit 11/9

Any Two Actors or Puppets (Especially in those creepy sex scenes), The Happytime Murders

Kelly Preston & John Travolta, Gotti

Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly, Holmes & Watson

Worst Director-

Spierig Bros., Winchester

Ethan Cohen, Holmes & Watson

James Foley, Fifty Shades Freed

Kevin Connolly, Gotti

Brian Henson, The Happytime Murders

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