Scott spent a total of five years, from conception through financing and production, on his first feature, THE DUELLISTS (1977). Although it won a special jury prize at Cannes, some criticised THE DUELLISTS as little more than carefully posed tableaux of the Napoleonic era that rarely illuminated the human aspects of the two central characters (Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel). Scott's next feature was the influential, stomach-churningly tense sci-fi thriller, ALIEN (1979). The film enjoyed considerable box-office success, made a star of Sigourney Weaver and spawned an unusually good sequel (ALIENS, 1986, directed by James Cameron), as well as a third and fourth installment.
BLADE RUNNER (1982) presents a bleak, stunning vision of an over-populated and media-saturated Los Angeles in the year 2019. The story, about a bounty hunter (Harrison Ford) tracking down a gang of outlaw androids, offers an unusually sympathetic treatment of the "replicants" as they search for their maker, hoping he can extend their four-year life span. The film has developed a significant cult following, though some critics had problems with Ford's wooden, cliched voice over and a tacked-on happy ending which sees him soaring into a rural paradise accompanied by his android lover (Sean Young). Scott is the father of "the director's cut," and his subsequent version of the film removed the voice-over and restored the original ending.
Critical reception for LEGEND (1985) was generally poor, centering on a weak, fairy tale storyline that was swamped by sumptuous production design (impressively enough, the entire film was shot on a sound stage at London's Pinewood Studios). SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME (1987) was a well-structured, straightforward suspense thriller. Finely acted by Tom Berenger and Lorraine Bracco, and untypically devoid of flashy visual effects, it performed poorly at the box office. Scott then scored his biggest hit since ALIEN with BLACK RAIN (1989), a police corruption thriller set in New York and Japan; though the narrative was somewhat confused -- a romantic sub-plot between a detective (Michael Douglas) and a nightclub hostess (Kate Capshaw) seemed to get dropped and resumed virtually at random -- the Tokyo skyline afforded Scott some of his finest urban compositions to date.
THELMA & LOUISE (1991) would prove to be one of Scott's most critically and commercially successful films. Aided by superb performances by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, Scott drew upon his polished style and traditional conventions of the road movie to invigorate Callie Khouri's energetically feminist screenplay. The film became something of a cause célèbre for its popular combination of action and sociosexual commentary.
Scott wasn't nearly as fortunate with his ambitious production of 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE (1992), by far the more lavish of two movies produced that year to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in America. A critical and commercial disaster, the bloated 1492 boasted all of Scott's trademark visual flair in the service of a dull screenplay and the miscasting of Gérard Depardieu as Columbus. However, the film's dismal reception was, like that of LEGEND, more of a fluke than a true failure.
He followed with WHITE SQUALL (1996) and G.I. JANE (1997) which both featured dynamic action scenes against less-than-perfect plots and were greeted with moderate critical praise.
Scott continues to be one of the most respected and accomplished directors working in the commercial mainstream, and he received Oscar® nominations for his direction of the 2000 Best Picture winner, GLADIATOR (of which he was an uncredited executive producer) and 2001's BLACK HAWK DOWN, which he also produced.
In 2001 Scott released the much-awaited sequel to 1991's Best Picture winner, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, HANNIBAL. This time, Thomas Harris' novel was adapted by David Mamet and Steve Zaillian. When compared to the novel, the screenplay strangely includes the parts of the story that we assumed would not be filmed and drops or changes some essential characters and plot that were the best parts of the book -- especially the ending. The graphic scenes of cannibalism and animal attacks gave the film an R rating, but some thought it should have been rated NC-17. This time, Agent Clarisse Starling is played by Julianne Moore, and we can see what 10 years in the FBI have done to her character. Anthony Hopkins returns as Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter, but instead of being confined to his cell -- where he was the locus of evil -- Lecter is now free to roam around the world. This turns the character from one who did have his good points (however debatable) in the first two films (we must include MANHUNTER) to one of a simple predator. But Hopkins gives Lecter a fascinating screen presence every second he is on the screen. When he's strapped to a cruciform brace and about to be fed to wild boars, Hopkins' voice sounds a note of pity for his tormentors, and we remember the earlier Lecter. Nevertheless, Scott pulls it all off and makes it all entertaining.
Subsequent producing/directing credits include MATCHSTICK MEN (2003), KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (2005), A GOOD YEAR (2006), AMERICAN GANGSTER (2007), BODY OF LIES (schedules for 2008), and NOTTINGHAM and BLOOD MERIDIAN (both planned for 2009).
Scott owns the visual effects company Mill Film, based in London, which did the majority of the effects work on GLADIATOR. He was named a Knight of the British Empire in Queen Elizabeth II's 2003 New Year's Honours List. He's the brother of director Tony Scott (THE HUNGER, 1983; TOP GUN, 1986; DAYS OF THUNDER, 1990; CRIMSON TIDE, 1995; ENEMY OF THE STATE, 1998; SPY GAME, 2001), with whom he owns Shepperton Studios in the UK. The Scott Brothers -- through Scott Free Productions -- are executive producers of the CBS television series "Numb3rs".
Nominated for Achievement in Directing 1991: THELMA & LOUISE
Nominated for Achievement in Directing 2000: GLADIATOR
Nominated for Achievement in Directing 2001: BLACK HAWK DOWN
3 nominations