1. United 93
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz9BTKO_plI Emedding is disabled for the video, but I implore you to watch it
here. I struggle to watch this scene because it's so emotionally unsettling, due to the fact that it is, of course, a dramatic re-enactment of the doomed United 93 flight that was commandeered by terrorists on September 11th, 2001. The entire film is directed with a tasteful, respectful skill by Paul Greengrass (who earned a Best Director Oscar nomination for his work), but it's the final two moments that prove almost unbearable within the context of the tragedy. As the terrorists go about crashing the plane, the brave passengers attempt to break into the cabin to try and save their lives, but of course, there's not much that can be done; Greengrass' camera spirals out of control just as the plane does, and the final image we're left with is of the plane careening into the ground, cutting to black as impact occurs. It's a thrilling scene in its own way, certainly one that gets the pulse racing, but not at all because what we're seeing is cool, but because what we're seeing feels so real, and it's difficult to imagine how anymore authentic a depiction of that day's horrific events could be possible. Stunning.