Review: ‘A Good Year’ is Ridley Scott’s Worst Film
Scott’s 2006 drama is abhorrent
I tend to enjoy the films of Ridley Scott more consistently than many. I don’t think that anybody would deny that the man has made some pretty terrible films — any kind of denial would be much more likely to rear its head when you select which films of his you believe are lesser… we must stop ignoring some of Scott’s lesser known but brilliant works! In my case, I think Scott has made only a handful of films I’d rather not encounter again — House of Gucci, G.I. Jane and Exodus: Gods and Kings, for example, either do nothing for me or are genuinely annoying to sit through.
Add to that list Scott’s 2006 whiny comedic drama A Good Year. I have happily defended Scott’s version of Robin Hood, and have quietly been a huge fan of both Hannibal and The Duellists (two of those aforementioned lesser known but brilliant works!), but A Good Year is a definite line-in-the-sand kind of film. It is absolutely awful, borderline reprehensible.
The film follows Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) who quickly reveals himself to have all of the characteristics of the worst people you’ve ever known. He begins the film as a trader in London who manipulates the market illegally, driving prices up for certain shares before then dumping his shares to cause a panic that subsequently…
