15 Insane Movies That Shouldn't Have Worked

8. Russian Ark (2002)

Alexander Sokurov's experimental historical drama is a peerless feat of meticulous filmmaking precision, considering that the entire 96 minute movie was shot in one single, unbroken take.

Unlike many other attempts to pull off "oner" movies, Russian Ark uses no digital blending tricks to fool the audience, and it's not some low-key drama confined to a few small rooms with just a few actors.

The film is a surreal travelogue through 300 years of St. Petersburg's history, a dreamlike performance piece in which the audience passes through more than 30 rooms and meets over 2,000 actors, any of whom could so easily have tanked the take and force the entire cast and crew to start over again.

Sokurov executed the successful shot on only his fourth take after extensive prep and rehearsals, and though the end result is undeniably more impressive as a technical showcase than as a piece of entertainment, it remains one of the most ludicrously brave, demented cinematic feats in the history of the medium.