Every Ridley Scott Movie Ranked Worst To Best

11. The Duellists (1977)

Back before Ripley and Deckard, Ridley scored a victory straight out of the gate with his debut The Duellists, starring Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine as soldiers who meet periodically to duel throughout the Napoleonic wars. The story's interest is in how their lives converge and how they impact each other.

The visuals are great, particularly for a first time director, with Scott admitting he drew from Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, and the decision to adapt Joseph Conrad's short story gave the director a strong, intelligent foundation to show off his fledgling flair.

It's ambitious and intelligent, thoroughly detailed in its historical detail but still a little slight in terms of depth and tension, but it improves with multiple viewings as you realise that doesn't so much matter. As an exhibition of what Scott's career would become, it's essential.