Every Denis Villeneuve Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

5. Polytechnique (2009)

Based on the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre in which an anti-feminist gunman (Maxim Gaudette) murdered fourteen young women at a university, Polytechnique is a haunting yet tasteful dramatisation of the day's events.

Shot entirely in gorgeous black and white, Villeneuve's film finds plenty of emotional resonance in the humanity of its characters, even the gunman, while the shooting sequence itself is an intensely visceral, tripwire tense set-piece that never lets up.

Sharply edited and boosted by excellent performances from Gaudette, Karine Vanasse and Sébastien Huberdeau, Villeneuve delicately yet uncompromisingly brings a tragedy to the big screen with searing impact.

While just 77 minutes long, Polytechnique makes the absolute most of its scant runtime, proving the director's penchant for sustained intensity.