10 Greatest ‘One Shot’ Scenes In Movie History
9. Spectre
For all we had to open with Birdman because it changed the game, we have to follow with Spectre because it's since been rumoured that one-shot nature of the former inspired a late rewrite in the latter. Bond director Sam Mendes, a huge fan of the movie, allegedly reworked the now-famous Day of the Dead scene after being impressed by how seamlessly the effect had looked in Birdman.
Opening with a masked figure making his way through the celebrations and into a hotel room, it's soon revealed to be Bond hot on the trail of an unnamed assailant. The shot then moves from the bedroom to the rooftops, where we continue to track 007 on his way to the target. There are two cuts here, one as the crowd walk in front of the camera, and one as Daniel Craig steps onto the balcony but they're both seamless.
What's most impressive here is the sheer number of moving parts. Taking place in a crowded Mexico City square and a bustling hotel, there are hundreds of extras all needing carefully coordinated to move around the camera and the actors.