8 Greatest One-Shot Action Movie Sequences Of All Time, Ranked

Why One-Shot Scenes Work

A one-shot sequence follows action without jump cuts or jarring transitions. As the camera moves through the scene, viewers can take in more of what is happening and may feel closer to the events.

The style can also be demanding: with no cuts to hide errors, the scene must hold together as it unfolds. When successful, it can become one of a film’s major highlights.

Brawls and Prison Escapes

In Kingsman: The Secret Service, Harry Hart, played by Colin Firth, faces a violent fight in a church after the patrons turn against him. He uses firearms and close combat, then has to improvise when he runs out of bullets.

The sequence is interrupted by glimpses of characters elsewhere, but its church fight remains a striking set piece. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” accompanies the violence.

Action Across Different Worlds

The Extraction films star Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake, an elite special forces agent turned mercenary. Extraction has a one-shot scene lasting almost 12 minutes, while Extraction 2 features a shorter prison escape in which Rake tries to escort Ketevan, played by Tinatin Dalakishvili, across a courtyard during a riot.

In The Adventures of Tintin, Steven Spielberg’s animated film follows Tintin and Captain Haddock as they pursue a hawk carrying a clue through a built-up area in Morocco. The roughly two-and-a-half-minute chase sweeps around the action as soldiers and a tank dragging a building threaten the heroes.

Children of Men offers a different kind of tension in a car chase. Theo, played by Clive Owen, rides in the backseat when the driver sees a burning car roll downhill; after braking and reversing, they find people surrounding their vehicle.