4. G.I Jane (1997)
Not every film in this list is a positive reflection on Scott: and G.I Jane is a prime example of this. Made during the mid-90s heyday of Jerry Bruckheimer, G.I Jane was a we can do this too, Jerry attempt at disrupting the popular social patriotism of the time. The film felt like fallout from Scotts newfound action mode, following the high-octane waterworks of White Squall. But where White Squall was a boys-to-men affair, G.I Jane became an overt exploitation of Scotts notoriety for depicting strong female leads. This was a shameless and ill-conceived attempt at cloning Ellen Ripley, whilst channeling Susan Sarandons Louise Sawyer. What makes G.I Jane such a landmark for Scott is that this film displays a complete yet unrefined balance of auterism and bankable filmmaking; Scott was the closet he had yet been to becoming the next Hitchcock, the new John Ford, a high concept Billy Wilder. This aside, G.I Jane had heart, and Demi Moore bravely attacked a role which was bound to fail. With the privilege of hindsight G.I Jane is actually a lot better than history has led us to believewell better in the sense of, 'when compared to the competition'. Scott wouldnt revisit the army/rangers theme until 2001s infinitely superior Black Hawk Down. But by the time he would get there, hed be a solid juggernaut of directorial excellence, and would claim his third Oscar nomination. Original Critical Responses:
With a strongly visual director, Ridley Scott, the film really shows what's involved at this level of combat trainingAs Scott demonstrated in `Thelma and Louise,' he has a feel for strong female characters. He brings out Moore's best quality: a don't- mess-with-me feistiness. -Ruthe Stein (San Francisco Chronicle)
for all Moore's grunting and growling, this is still a man's view of the world. Any feminist subtext has clearly gone AWOL. -Deborah Brown (Empire Magazine) Supplement Your Viewing With: Black Hawk Down (2001) White Squall (1996)