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22. Narc - Stray Bullet

“Help!”

Speaking of tracking shots, the first half of the opening sequence to Joe Carnahan’s 2002 noir is a handheld one (with a little creative editing). It was actually shot by a stuntman, who was the only person on set able to keep up with Jason Patric’s frantic pace as his character chases a junkie through a housing project.

The intensity of this sequence is unparalleled. Although shot without sound, Patric’s raspy, desperate panting was recorded later at a track and added in. As the most prominent sound in the sequence (there is no music) it sells the intensity of the moment.

The shakiness of the camera sells it, too. And we’re not just talking Blair Witch shaky. We’re talking Darren Aronofsky in Pi shaky. Not for the motion sickness-prone.

More than just about any sequence on this list, the acting is crucial. You can see the struggle and pain on Patric’s face as he decides whether or not to try to save an innocent bystander stabbed in the neck with God knows what lethal drug dose by the junkie. And that’s merely a prelude to how heartbreaking the scene is about to become.

Carnahan packs all of this into a little over 2 minutes. It might have been longer, had Canadian winter days lasted longer, but the crew ran out of sunlight and had to make do with the footage they shot. With some brillaint editing by John Gilroy (Michael Clayton writer/director Tony Gilroy’s brother, who also edited Clayton), I think that lack of time actually turns into a blessing, making the most of the film’s indie aesthetic.

This is also one of the most visceral sequences on our list. The gurgling cries of the injection victim or the pool of blood from another bystander are gut punches amplified by Patric’s tortured reactions.

Carnahan describes the decision to begin his film with this scene as a decision to “jump on the audience’s throat.” Consider it stomped.

See also: Final car chase in The Bourne Supremacy, Cillian Murphy ambushes some troops in 28 Days Later, all of Run Lola Run