20 Incredible Long Takes

Atonement (2007) - The Dunkirk Beach Scene
Joe Wright is a director known for ambitious long takes, but none of his other tracking shots, or indeed probably no other tracking shot in cinema history, can match the grandeur and complexity of this scene from Atonement. The scale here is simply staggering, as the camera weaves in and out of hundreds of soldiers on Dunkirk Beach, following multiple characters and including pyrotechnics, special effects, vehicles, horses, and even singing. The choreography is obviously impeccable, but the scene still has the clearly desired feel of chaos and disorganisation, and the technique of the long take here makes it very easy for the viewer to place themselves in the position of James McAvoy's character and see just how overwhelming the war effort is for the average soldier.

Trivia: The scene involved over 1,000 extras who were only available for one day before the tide was due to wash away the set, and it was this short time frame that forced Wright to attempt the single continuous shot. He has described tracking shots as "a wonderful game".

Boogie Nights (1997) - The Hot Traxx Nightclub
Paul Thomas Anderson is yet another director who has a love affair with tracking shots, most likely due to the inspiration he draws from Scorsese. Nearly all of his films are replete with them, for example the game show scene from Magnolia and and prison scene from The Master. Probably his most impressive tracking shot however is the opening of Boogie Nights, not only because of the sweeping camera movement, the ingenious incorporation of the title in the mise-en-scène, and the organisation of a club full of dancing extras, but also because the shot serves a real purpose, introducing most of the main players of the story one by one before we get to know them properly.

Trivia: Empire magazine put together a map of the scene, showing just how complicated and carefully orchestrated the shot is.

Children Of Men (2006) - The Uprising
Probably one of the most famous movies in terms of long takes is Alfonso Cuarón's Children Of Men, which includes four particularly notable uncut tracking shots. The climactic scene of the battle between the refugee uprising and the army however is probably the most spectacular and attention grabbing, as the camera follows Clive Owen through the streets while he's under heavy fire and then into a bombarded building. The complexity of everything going on here is nothing short of mind boggling, and the end result is one of the most intense battle scenes put to film.

Trivia: Children Of Men contains 62 shots that last longer than 22 seconds, while the average shot length for Hollywood movies in the last few years has been roughly two seconds.

Four Rooms (1995) - The Penthouse Suite
Long takes are one of Tarantino's many trademarks (see the 'Woo Hoo' scene from Kill Bill Vol. 1 for one of the more famous examples), and his Penthouse segment in the divisive Four Rooms consists almost entirely of them. The opening scene of the story follows the bellboy Ted as he's introduced to the members of Tarantino's entourage one by one and sets the groundwork for the remainder of the segment, which is at its heart a slow buildup to a payoff in the form of one hilarious second. The shot lasts nearly 15 minutes, and even though there's nothing overly complex going on, the dynamics are still impressive and the dialogue is typically sharp and entertaining.

Trivia: Bruce Willis, who briefly appears in the scene, was uncredited because he broke SAG rules by acting in the film as a favour to Tarantino without receiving any money, and SAG agreed to not sue him if his name did not appear in the credits.

Goodfellas (1990) - The Copacabana
Quite simply, I believe that this is one of the best scenes of all time. In a film full of quotable lines, brutal violence, and frequent swearing, it's classic Scorsese that the most notable scene of the movie has none of the above, but rather is simply two characters walking through the kitchen to a restaurant. The beauty of the scene is the way it puts the viewer into the position of Karen as she's seduced by the world of Henry Hill, and for this brief moment we can understand exactly what is so attractive about the life of a gangster as those around Henry go to any lengths necessary to accommodate him, to the point where doors are quite literally opening for him. The sense of 'belonging' is just intoxicating.

Trivia: The shot was actually a happy accident, as Scorsese had to improvise when the restaurant wouldn't allow him access through the front door.

Gravity (2013) - The Hubble Disaster
Cuarón attempted to trump his own intricate long takes in Children Of Men with the opening scene of Gravity, a 12 minute, uncut, mostly digital shot focusing on three astronauts working on the Hubble Telescope. The camera floats about weightlessly as if it's just another character, drifting in and out of the astronauts' visors and giving the audience stunning views of the earth beneath them before the inevitable disaster hits and we're shown just how terrifying space is as one of the astronauts vanishes into a speck almost indistinguishable from the surrounding stars. The effect of seeing this scene in a cinema is not one that anybody is likely to forget anytime soon.

Trivia: When Cuarón told executive producer Chris DeFaria that he wanted to include long, uncut shots, DeFaria responded with "You mean like 40 seconds?" and Cuarón answered "No, 17 minutes".

Gun Crazy (1950) - The Backseat Heist
The chief difference between this long take heist scene from Gun Crazy and most other entries on this list is that the camera is completely stationary for the duration of the scene, staying rigid in the backseat of the car as the characters move around it. The result is no less impressive for this however, as it gives us a POV look into what it feels like to be the partner in a robbery whose sole job is the getaway driver. We can hear and sense the heist in progress, but it's the not knowing that really creates the tension, especially when a police officer unwittingly intervenes.

Trivia: The only people in the scene who are aware that a movie is being filmed are the two leads and the policeman; the rest of the scene is completely unscripted. Therefore, when Dall says that he hopes they find a car park, he genuinely means it, and when a standerby yells out that there has been a robbery she really thought that there had been.

Hanna (2011) - The Subway Brawl
Joe Wright downscaled the scope of Atonement's Dunkirk scene for Hanna's most spectacular fight scene, where Eric Bana takes on a trio of CIA agents in an underground train station. The camera follows Bana as he walks through the station into the subway, and we gradually realise that everything isn't quite right, with the tension building while the scene refuses to cut away. When the inevitable fight eventually comes it's gritty and brutal, and is such a welcome change compared to the quick, sharp cuts we've become used to. The fluid, graceful camera movement and continuous action allows for a real sense of timing and momentum that most other fight scenes could only aspire to, and the result is a breathtaking fight that also serves a narrative purpose as a reminder of just how potent Bana's character is.

Trivia: According to Eric Bana, Wright filmed six or seven takes of this scene over the space of 45 minutes, and it was the second take that was eventually used in the final product.

Hard Boiled (1992) - The Hospital Shootout
Hard Boiled is one of the most unabashed and hard-hitting action movies ever made, and also turned out to be director John Woo's last Hong Kong film before making the move to Hollywood. In a movie filled with almost non-stop action, it's this nearly 3 minutes long continuous shot that has proved the most enduring, as a handheld camera follows the two protagonists while they shoot their way through two entire hospital floors full of henchmen. Like the best John Woo action scenes, the movement of the camera and the choreography of the shootout is almost operatic, and the lack of cuts makes for a supreme stream of violence that any action fan will enjoy.

Trivia: Due to a strict shooting schedule the crew only had one chance to get the long take right, thankfully they nailed it first time. John Woo originally came up with the idea as a way of breaking the monotony of shooting the movie.

Knowing (2009) - The Plane Crash
Even detractors of this Alex Proyas movie can surely appreciate the majesty of this place crash scene. Proyas combines CGI with practical stunts and effects to create a three minute long continuous shot as we watch a spectacular plane crash and witness the horrifying aftermath through the perspective of Nicolas Cage's character as he attempts desperately to help the survivors. In terms of conveying the sheer terror and hopelessness in the immediate aftermath of a disaster it's hard to think of too many scenes as effective as this, and the fact that Proyas achieves this whilst keeping the film's PG-13 rating is rather remarkable.

Trivia: Proyas and his crew suffered from serious problems during the filming, with the lens of the single camera used for the scene constantly fogging up in the middle of takes. This was exacerbated by the fact that every reset of the scene took over an hour. The end result was the only usable take from days of filming.

Oldboy (2003) - The Hammer Fight
Chances are everybody already knows this one, but no list of long takes is complete with the mammoth achievement that is the corridor fight scene in Chan-Wook Park's Oldboy. In a film full of memorable moments and shocking violence, it's the highest compliment to this scene that most people come out of watching the movie talking about it. The way that the insane protagonist holds off a hoard of attackers with only a hammer, thanks mostly to their growing fear of him, is fascinating, due chiefly to the juxtaposition of the fighting styles of a man with nothing to lose and hired goons more concerned about their own safety than anything else.

Trivia: Spike Lee attempted to one-up the fight scene in his much-maligned 2013 remake by spreading the action over two floors of a carpark, however the effect was lessened somewhat by the inclusion of a cut hidden when the camera pans between the two levels.

Paths Of Glory (1957) - The Stroll Through The Trenches
Kubrick utilised many tracking shots in his films, although often did so in a relatively subtle way, especially when compared to the grandeur of many modern long takes. This introductory scene follows a General as he strolls casually through the trenches of WWI, chatting to soldiers in a misjudged attempt to improve morale. The comparison between the eerily calm and relaxed General who is clearly out of touch with the reality of the war and the troops themselves who have experienced the horrors of battle first hand sets the tone for the coming themes of the film, and the tracking shot is a very effective and visceral way of achieving this.

Trivia: Kubrick has an interesting view on long takes, reversing the onus on scenes with cuts to justify why they exist. He is quoted as saying "I think there should always be a reason for making a cut. If a scene plays well in one camera setup and there is no reason to cut, then I don’t cut".

Rope (1948) - The Whole Movie (Kind Of)
This Hitchcock single location thriller was shot using only ten takes, each lasting between four to ten minutes. Hitchcock originally wanted the film to be one entire, uninterrupted shot, however technological limitations at the time meant that each roll of film could only hold ten minutes worth of footage. The director compensated by hiding edits between rolls of film by methods such as zooming in on a character's jacket or panning to a featureless surface. The result is somewhat less than subtle given today's standards, but many of the individual shots are still remarkable, and the effect of the film as a whole is relatively unique, feeling at times like a recorded stage play.

Trivia: Due to the duration of every single shot, any mistake from the cast or crew generally resulted in a substantial waste of time and resources. At one point, the dolly ran over and broke a cameraman's foot in the middle of a take, but everyone was so desperate to continue that other members of the crew gagged him and dragged him away to prevent having to reshoot the scene.

Russian Ark (2002) - The Whole Movie (Actually)
Russian Ark is probably the most ambitious movie ever made. It focuses on the life of a Russian aristocrat as he travels through the Hermitage Museum, encountering historical figures from the last 300 years. What is remarkable however is that the film, which is 96 minutes long, was shot in one take. No Rope-style tricks here, this is (as far as I know) the only full length movie to ever contain nothing but one sole steadicam shot. The film didn't compensate for this with a simple production either, with the movie featuring over 2,000 actors and taking place in 33 rooms of the Museum. Russian Ark is perhaps not quite as fascinating on a narrative level, but is nevertheless a landmark technical achievement in filmmaking that will almost certainly not be surpassed in our lifetime.

Trivia: Incredibly, filming took a grand total of one day, as director Aleksandr Sokurov only produced two failed takes (due to technical problems), with the third shot being used as the final movie.

Snake Eyes (1998) - The Boxing Match
This may be the second Nicolas Cage film on the list, but, whether you worship at the church of the One True God or not, this opening sequence from Brian De Palma's 1998 mystery thriller has a lot going for it. De Palma is of course noted for his use of long takes, but few are as attention grabbing as that of Snake Eyes, where the camera follows Cage's character as he prepares to watch a boxing match. Cage's performance, even at this early stage of the movie, if full of so much manic energy that you can't take your eyes off him, but, typically for De Palma, it is the slick and elaborate movement of the camera through tight spaces that is the real star of the scene.

Trivia: There are actually a few edits cleverly hidden during the 12 minute runtime of the scene, however even any single contributory shot is worthy of praise, and upon casual viewing the scene appears relatively seamless.

Stake Land (2010) - The Dance And The Drop
The word 'underrated' is thrown around a lot, but I firmly believe that Stake Land is one of the most criminally unappreciated movies of the last few years. Fans of post-apocalyptia will find so much to enjoy here, from the wonderful world-building, relatable and likeable characters, beautiful cinematography, and the twist on the classic Wasteland-wandering formula with vampires thrown into the mix. The standout moment is undoubtedly a long take of an idyllic, oddly beautiful town dance at a small outpost that serves as one of the few moments of peacefulness in the film, only for it to be brutally interrupted by surprise visitors and turn into the most intense action set piece of the film, all in the space of one extraordinary continuous shot.

Trivia: The shot was never intended to be a long take, but director Jim Mickle felt he had no other choice once the shooting schedule for the scene was diminished. In attempting the long take he was inspired by Children Of Men.

Strange Days (1995) - The Blackjack
The interesting thing about Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days is that the storyline almost necessitated the use of long takes. In this dystopian sci-fi thriller a device called a 'SQUID' can record events directly from the wearer's point of view, and these images can be played back through a 'deck', whereby the viewer experiences their emotions and memories directly. The film includes several such sequences recorded through a SQUID, which feel almost like a first-person shooter and appear upon first viewing to be uncut, even though there are a few hidden edits. The impact of this is raised because we are often aware of the tragic result of the recordings ahead of time, and this opening scene of the movie, featuring a snuff recording of robbery, hits pretty hard.

Trivia: The technology at the time was incapable of supporting such an ambitious long take filmed to appear through the perspective of a character, so Lightstorm Entertainment spent a year researching and designing a camera to do so. This camera, which was ultimately used in the production, only weighed 8 pounds and could fit in the palm of your hand.

The Killers (1946) - The Heist
The centrepiece heist in this Ernest Hemingway adaption, which all the events of the film revolve around, occurs as an unedited, continuous flashback. We start with a crane shot to establish the location before we zoom in on the perpetrators and watch them complete the robbery through the office window, all the while remaining somewhat removed from the action. Incredibly, particularly given how long ago the film was made, the shot doesn't finish there but rather the camera moves back up to a wider shot, panning through the entrance gate as we follow the robbers making their escape amidst gunfire. Seeing this in the cinema at the time must have been mind blowing.

Trivia: There doesn't appear to be much information about the scene floating around, but the film itself is notable for being Burt Lancaster's debut performance at the age of 33.

The Secret In Their Eyes (2009) - The Football Match
We start with a long-range aerial shot of a packed football stadium before the camera tracks in over the action and we witness an attacking play while the camera, amazingly, moves smoothly into the crowd itself and takes on the position of a spectator. Not content with this, the scene still doesn't cut but rather follows the protagonist as he weaves his way amongst the crowd, eventually spotting a suspect and pursuing him through the crowd and then into the depths of the stadium. The whole time you're watching the scene the common sense part of your brain is just screaming at you that this couldn't possibly be happening without some kind of trickery, but yet there is no discernible cut in the sequence, and not even any shift when the angle changes from an overhead helicopter shot to a perspective from within the crowd. Just like the rest of the Argentinian movie, this is extraordinary filmmaking.

Trivia: The visual effects team spent nearly an entire year on pre-production in preparation for the final shoot, which blended CGI (most of the 45,000 strong crowd for example were digital) with real life action.

Touch Of Evil (1958) - The Explosive Opening
The opening scene of Orson Welles' Touch Of Evil is undoubtedly the most famous long take of all time. People have written entire essays on it, so I'm not sure how much I can add, but suffice to say that it's a scintillating and masterful shot from both a storytelling and technical perspective. The reason the shot is so successful is that, even though the movie has only just begun, we the audience have more information than the characters on screen; we know that the car contains a bomb, while they do not. This means that, while characters walk casually alongside the ticking timebomb, it is the us who feel the tension, not the characters themselves. This discord between what we're feeling and the calm demeanours of the people on screen with no idea that something is about to go wrong is what makes for such a memorable experience in what many have described as the best opening to any film ever.

Trivia: Welles ran into difficulty filming the scene because the actor playing the customs officer kept on getting his lines wrong. Eventually, with dawn fast approaching, Welles ordered one final attempt and told the actor "If you forget your line this time, just move your lips and we'll dub it in later, but please God do not say 'I'm sorry Mr Welles!'". It is this take that is used in the film.