1. The Hotel Invasion – No Country for Old Men (2008)
Nothing fuels filmmaking better than a perfectly poised protagonist, and a completely relentless antagonist. The brilliant Javier Bardem rightly won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his portrayal as the quietly psychotic Anton Chigurh and fewer moments showcase just why he won than this moment.
As Brolin’s determined hero realises the suitcase of money he found is laden with a tracking device, he must fight for survival in a dingy hotel room armed with a bodged sawn-off shotgun as Chigurh blasts his way through the levels of the building. What ensues is seven minutes stacked with twists, turns, bodies, bluffs and double-bluffs; it evokes as much power and grit in those few moments than many movies can in 120.
Scenes like this deserve to be screened in film schools and media lessons when teaching students about the importance of framing, mise-en-scene and lighting as well as performance and direction. Every time one revisits No Country for Old Men, I simply cannot wait for this momentary masterclass of modern cinema to commence.
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