10 Most Intense Scenes In War Films

This scene, where the lead character, Clare, gets her first taste of revenge against her colonial oppressors, is intensely brutal.

The intensity of this scene doesn't really come from wondering whether or not Clare will kill her target, Jago, one of the British soldiers responsible for a horrifying attack on her and her family. Jago is wounded, Clare is gaining on him - it's clear how this will end.

What isn't clear is just how much it is going to take for Jago to die. Clare shoots him, stabs him multiple times, and then hits him in the face again and again with the butt of a rifle.

Jennifer Kent's expert direction in the scene makes us feel every act of violence viscerally. Kent highlights Clare's rage and Jago's waning ability to fight back, switching back and forth between her face, his face, and the damage being done to his body. We feel like we're actually watching a human being getting killed, especially the moment where, after being struck in the head, Jago is dazed, looks at Clare and asks "Mother?"

This detail isn't meant to excuse Jago - if a human being can perform actions that are incapable of forgiveness, then he has done so - but it gives him a sense of personhood that makes the steady dismantling of his body all the more horrific.

Ultimately, the film is a searing critique of colonialism and the horrific depersonalization and violence that come in its wake. Much of that success hinges on the intensity of this moment.