10 Mind-Blowing Long Takes
1. Children Of Men
A miracle film, Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men is a masterpiece in every sense of the term, featuring heartwrenching performances and a well-textured portrait of a society on the brink of apocalypse. Cuarón's vision is realized through Emmanuel Lubezki's camera as it captures the fracturing world in long takes, often getting caught directly in the carnage and destruction as the cracks grow deeper.
One such long take follows the central characters as their car is ambushed by an armed gang in the middle of the woods. The camera rotates around the car, capturing the lighthearted interactions between the characters before it shows a rolling inferno careening into the road in front of them. The tone shifts dramatically as Luke (Chiwetel Ejiofor) desperately attempts to back the car from the ambush and Julian (Julianne Moore) is hit by gunfire as ex-husband Theo (Clive Owen) desperately tries to stop the bleeding.
Not only does the one-take style keep the action immediate and frightening, but placing the camera in the car entraps the characters in a state of helplessness as chaos descends around them. The only prayer they have is in Luke's ability to get away from the hordes of gang members. As a result, Cuarón and Lubezki have crafted a harrowing and tragic action set piece that sets an even higher bar for the rest of the film to match.