Oscars 2014: 18 Sublime Moments That Define Best Picture Nominees

15. Meeting The Mafia - American Hustle

A little over halfway through the film, all of our demented and insane con-men head to a casino party, where the Mafia is waiting to meet them, specifically the Sheikh. And who better to lead the Mafia than the man who made a career out of playing hyper violent criminals, Robert De Niro!? Mafia crime lord Victor Tellegrio begins explaining business. but surprises both cast and audience when he begins speaking in Arabic directly to the Sheikh - whom actually isn't an Arab but an undercover Hispanic. Suddenly the characters and scene are stricken with silence - and it almost looks as if a character might get killed off considering the meeting is going south real fast - until the Sheikh manages to bumble his way through the conversation. After all our protagonists escape with their lives we're then treated to an Arabic version of Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit, transcending the scene into true greatness. For a movie that is mostly made up of goofball comedy and idiotic character decisions, this scene of pure tension sticks out even more.