9 Famous Movie Moments Unbelievably Nailed On The First Take

9. James Franco Cuts Off His Arm In A Single 20 Minute Take - 127 Hours

127 Hours tells the true story of a fun-lovin' hiker named Aron Ralston - played by James Franco - whose misadventure in a remote canyon in Utah leaves him trapped with his arm lodged between a boulder and a rock well. Ralston is forced to cut off his own arm to escape, and that scene is undeniably the highlight of Danny Boyle's masterful movie.

In order to shoot the scene, a fake arm that Franco could really cut through was created; the plan was to shoot the scene in real time and then whittle down the footage in the edit. According to Boyle, he and his crew planned for a day and half to shoot this dynamic sequence but - when it came time to do it - they overestimated the time they required.

Franco cut through the prosthetic arm with a pen knife in 20 minutes - a single take that Boyle deemed to be perfect. As a result, he didn't bother shooting the elaborate sequence again, and the arm-cutting scene you see in the film is a result of that first and only take!