Ridley Scott: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best

9. The Duellists

Even most Scott aficionados haven't seen his 1977 debut feature The Duellists, but Scott didn't ease himself gently into Hollywood with a no-budget indie as you might expect. No, this is based on a Joseph Conrad story, stars Harvey Keitel, Keith Carradine and Albert Finney, and honestly doesn't show many hallmarks of a director's first film. Scott's flair for visuals is evident right from the beginning of his career, directing the action sequences with commendable verve while also putting paid to the characters and teasing two solid lead performances from Keitel and Carradine. Sure, it's pretty distracting that they don't speak with period and setting-appropriate accents (they are French, after all), but it's not the first film to do this, and it absolutely won't be the last. Naturally it doesn't stand up to Scott's more muscular films, but as a prelude to Alien and Blade Runner, it's an unquestionably vital piece of filmmaking.