The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott edited by Adam Barkman Ashley Barkman and Nancy Kang brings together eighteen critical essays that illuminate a nearly comprehensive selection of the directoramprsquos feature films from cuttingedge multidisciplinary and comparative perspectives. Chapters examine such signature works as Alien 1979 Blade Runner 1982 Thelma and Louise 1991 Gladiator 2000 Hannibal 2001 Black Hawk Down 2001 and American Gangster 2007. This volume divides the chapters into three major thematic groups responsibility remembering and revision real alienated and ideal lives and gender identity and selfhood. Each section features six discrete essays each of which forwards an original thesis about the film or films chosen for analysis. Each chapter features close readings of scenes as well as broader discussions that will interest academics nonspecialists as well as educated readers with an interest in films as visual texts. While recognizing Scottamprsquos undeniable contributions to contemporary popular cinema the volume does not shy away from honest and wellevidenced critique.Each chapteramprsquos approach correlates with philosophical literary or cultural studies perspectives. Using both combined and singlefilm discussions the contributors examine such topics as gender roles and feminist theory philosophical abstractions like ethics honor and personal responsibility historical memory and the challenges of accurately rendering historical events on screen literary archetypes and generic conventions race relations and the effect of class difference on character construction how religion shapes personal and collective values the role of a constantly changing technological universe and the schism between individual and groupbased power structures. The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott assembles the critical essays of scholars working in the fields of philosophy literary studies and cultural studies. An international group they are based in the Un