POV
ILLUSTRATION
DAVID BUI SAN
22
NOVEMBER2015
AMERICANWAY
RidleyScott
Wrecks
HisWorlds
Inhis latest film,
TheMartian
, the thrice-Oscar-
nominateddirector isoff toouter space.Here, a
journey through someof his renowned ruins.
Nothing is safe.
–TODDAARONJENSEN
BladeRunner
(1982)
Theglitz-and-kitsch kaleidoscopeof Scott’s sci-fiLos
Angeles of 2019 is stirring, bleak, sinister and ravishing all
at once, drippingwith acid rain andneonblitzes andAsian
gracenotes, steel and reptile, flesh andmachine.Not even
RandyNewmanwould love this L.A.
Gladiator
(2000)
In thisOscar-winning sword-and-sandals adventure, Scott
fabricates anexquisite,mythic, lushlymarbled “capital of
theworld,” asGoetheoncedescribedAncient Rome.He
then showers it in thunderous noise andharrowingblood
andguts.Are younot entertained?
KingdomofHeaven
(2005)
Longgone is the “bright homeof love” described in
JosephBromehead’s 18th-centuryhymn about theholy
cityof Jerusalem. InScott’s 2005periodepic, it’s replaced
byhandsomeChristians and crossfitMuslims layingwaste
to sacredmonuments and crumbling impressive towers.
AmericanGangster
(2007)
Checkout Scott’s “really, really shabby” (hiswords)Big
Apple in thisOscar-nominated true-crimeflick. The “Me
Decade” fashions alone— chinchilla coats andflower-power headbands,muttonchops andporn staches— are
nails on a chalkboard, even if they arehistorically accurate.
TheMartian
(2015)
This sci-fiMattDamon vehiclefinds Scott showing a
RedPlanet that, being true to science, ismuchharsher
andmore threatening thanother space-travel films have
suggested. (For filming, Scott had it built ononeof the
largest sound stages ever.)
IN
THEATERS
NOW
