From Gone Girl to Tenet: Films that have captivated audiences with their unique framing of shots and editing

The neo-western crime thriller is regarded as one of the best films by the Coen Brothers. The film revolves around an assassin named Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), hunting a man named Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) who has taken money from gangsters. The film also stars Tommy Lee Jones, Kelly Macdonald, and Woody Harrelson in important roles. Javier Bardem’s deadpan expressions as a cold-blooded killer, and some of the dialogues executed in certain scenes were intense and could keep the audience at the edge of their seats.

Christopher Nolan’s latest film underwhelmed at the box office last year as a result of the global pandemic. The film is yet another mind-bending science fiction similar to some of the other Nolan sci-fi films such as Inception and Interstellar. The film featured John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Martin Donnavan, and Clémence Poésy. It also featured some of the most intense scenes and thrilling sequences in recent history.

When it comes to building suspense and anxiety in film narratives, not many can top Argo. The film, directed by Ben Affleck and written by Chris Terrio, won three Oscars including best picture and best writing. It is based on the real-life hostage situation at the US embassy in 1979 Tehran (Iran) when Ayatollah Khomeini rose to power after the Shah of Iran was overthrown. The shot selection and framing were excellent throughout the film, and the climactic sequences, in particular, would leave the audience flummoxed. The story revolves around CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) who is sent to Iran as a filmmaker to rescue the hostages, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, and Alan Arkin also play important roles in the film.

The film is directed by Denis Villeneuve, who is one of the most sought-after directors today with a list of excellent films in his resume such as Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Prisoners, and the highly anticipated Dune. Sicario featured some of the most intense sequences ever made on screen. The famous ‘border scene’ from the film is a masterclass in directing and editing, and arguably one of the most anxiety-inducing sequences ever shot. The film features Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro as the primary cast, with Jon Bernthal, Jeffery Donovan, and Daniel Kaluuya in supporting roles.

Prisoners is the second Denis Villeneuve film to feature on this list. The film is about a father going to extreme lengths to find his daughter, who has been kidnapped. The film is an indie production that deserved far more recognition than it received. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhall, Paul Dano, Viola Davis. Terrence Howard, and Malissa Leo. It features interrogation scenes that are not recommended for the weak-hearted.

This Quentin Tarantino masterpiece is one of the greatest films ever made. The editing and the buildup to the tense moments in the film is second to none. The ‘strudel scene’, the opening serene, and the ‘tavern shootout’ are just a few examples on how Tarantino toys with the emotions of the audience. The film stars Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, Michael Fassbender, Mélanie Laurent, and Daniel Brühl as the main characters. Waltz won an Academy Award for best-supporting actor for his portrayal of SS Colonel Hans Landa.

The critically acclaimed psychological thriller is based on the novel by Gillian Flynn. The film was directed by David Fincher and starred Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. Even though the film uses some scenes which are grotesque in nature, the most intense scenes where the ones with slow methodical dialogues followed by the eerie silence, which is designed to let the audience linger on it for minutes. The film was a critical and commercial success and has been widely acclaimed as one of the best psychological thrillers of the 21st century.