Ridley Scott: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best

8. Black Hawk Down

It gets no points for subtlety and you can talk about its controversial depiction of the locals until you're blue in the face, but as a visceral war movie, Black Hawk Down is one of Scott's most accomplished films. Smartly it does away with a good deal of the flag-waving you might expect and just immerses the viewer in Scott's beautifully gritty vision of the Battle of Mogadishu. With its brutal, often grotesque violence, it's not for the faint of heart, but if a war film is measured by how effectively it makes you feel there, then the film is a sure triumph. Character development isn't exactly a major consideration here, which is arguably a shame given the insanely good cast, but Scott keeps it all about the conflict itself, and that's not such a bad thing. It looks and sounds incredible throughout, boasts a ton of action, and skirts away from many of the genre's cliches. What's not to like?