Every Ridley Scott Movie Ranked Worst To Best

16. White Squall (1996)

Despite seeing 1492 sink, Scott returned to the open ocean in 1996 for his take on the story of the Albatross, which sank in 1961 thanks to a white squall. There's a sort of Dead Poet's Society dynamic in there, as Jeff Bridges' strict teacher bonds with his school boy charges around some exhilarating action, but it's let down by the script and by a penchant for cliche.

Bridges is typically great and understated, but his young co-stars are written like Jerry Springer talk show guests and there's too much sentimentality bogging the story down. Had Scott allowed the drama more space to breathe, and not balanced the harrowing action with such saccharine distractions, it would have been a lot better.

There are no issues with the production values, but at times it feels like both Bridges and Scott are slumming it with a project that wouldn't have made it off TV without their presence.