As much as I love comedies, nothing beats a good tension scene for me. A film's ability to make us emotionally or intellectually invest ourselves to the point that the outcome of a single scene has us on the edge of our seats is really remarkable. Here are ten such examples of tension in film.
The great thing about tension is that there are so many shades of it, and this great compilation from Cinefix runs you through a good chunk of them. It can be subtle, blunt, romantic, violent, but no matter what form it takes, it's a great lesson in storytelling to see how each example builds the suspense. I think it's particularly important to note that the success of these scenes is not just a result of their treatment of those specific moments, but often the emotional framework they've built the entire film in, forcing the audience to actively care about what happens on screen as opposed to being passive spectators.
For me personally, I think one of the tensest moments is the re-entry scene from "Apollo 13." We all know the story of the lunar mission, and the fact that Director Ron Howard manages to build such tension in the scene is a real testament to his prowess:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1BPx5Wsm7k
Do you have any favorite tense movie scenes? Share them in the comments!
The entire final game vs Russia in Miracle!!!!!
Ooo good one!
kudos for the scene from Apollo 13!
One of my favs! :)
likewise, and now I need to watch it again :P
The final scene of Asghar Farhadi's "A Separation", where someone needs to announce a decision. Wow.