Already binge-watched Netflix's Adolescence? UNILAD RANKED brings you five masterfully technical films which embody a similar 'one-shot' approach.
Adolescence - created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham and directed by Philip Barantini - has not only received an outpouring of praise for sparking much-needed discussion about male violence but also its gobsmacking artistry and technical use of one-shot takes for each and every episode.
This week's UNILAD RANKED subsequently brings you five 'one-shot' movies, and while not all are filmed in continuous one-take shots exactly like Adolescence - some instead expertly edited - that doesn't take away from how truly spectacular and celebrated they are. So in order of Rotten Tomatoes scores (you know the drill)...
5) Lost in London
If you've just managed to catch Last Breath in the cinema and were left so blown away - as you should've been - that you want to know what else Woody Harrelson has starred in, fret not, because Lost in London not only stars the True Detectives actor but was written and directed by him too.
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Based on a real life incident which saw the actor arrested in London, Harrelson's directorial debut sees him, Owen Wilson (Zoolander) and singer-songwriter Willie Nelson play themselves, Harrelson embarking on a chaotic trip across the city, running into all sorts of friends and faces, while trying to get back to his family to take them to see Harry Potter - if that doesn't intrigue you, I don't know what will.
Not only that, but the 90-minute film was shot in one take and also live-streamed around the world on January 19, 2017 - with cinematography by Nigel Willoughby.
With a Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer score of 75 and popcornmeter of 65 - a median of 70 - one viewer resolved: "Woody Harrelson's live movie is a miraculous oddity."
4) Victoria (2015)
The 2015 release was written by Olivia Neergaard-Holm, Sebastian Schipper and Eike Frederik Schulz and produced by Jan Dressler, Christiane Dressler and Schipper. Schipper also directed and Olivia Neergaard-Holm edited.
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It stars Laia Costa (Un Amor), alongside Frederick Lau (Crooks) and Franz Rogowski (Bird).
Young Spanish woman Victoria has moved to Berlin and works in a cafe, however, she soon finds herself among a dodgy crowd - the question is what will she end up embroiled in and how far will she go?
IMDb explains it took three attempts to film the one-shot movie - the final cut used being the third take - and the 134 minutes were shot in a single take from 4:30am to 7:00am on April 27, 2014 in the Kreuzberg and Mitte neighborhoods.
Victoria landed a median Rotten Tomatoes score of 82.5 - made up of scores of 82 and 83 - and one fan of the film added: "Many scenes are improvised, single-take, and at the end of the film, the cameraman's name is mentioned first, not the director's. I was really impressed."
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"The original screenplay was very short (only 12 pages), since a large part of the dialogue was improvised. Because of this, the writers are credited for story and not for screenplay," IMDb also notes.
A Twitter user wrote: "I rewatched this and its one of the most impressive feats done in film. Bank heist. One continuous take for two hours. Real time. Multiple locations. Everything was incredible and in unison. Laia Costa knocked it out! Shot on a Canon EOS too! I love this film!"
And another simply praised: "An absolute masterpiece."
Another 'masterpiece'? Well, strap yourself in for not just one, but the top three.
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3) BİRDMAN or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
The dark-comedy was written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr. and Armando Bó and directed by Iñárritu with editors listed as Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione.
It stars Michael Keaton (Batman) as a Hollywood actor who's known for playing a superhero called Birdman but is now trying to make a desperate comeback, writing, directing and starring in a Broadway adaptation.
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Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover), Edward Norton (Fight Club), Emma Stone (Poor Things) and Naomi Watts (The Impossible) are among the rest of the star-studded cast.
Rather than being strictly one continuous shot, Birdman is made up of several long shots cleverly tied together with sneaky camera transitions. To the beady-eyed among us, there are sixteen visible cuts within the entire film and IMDb notes as a result of the film being so well rehearsed and shot in sequence, editing only took a mere two weeks.
Birdman scores an impressive 91 on its tomatometer and 78 on the popcornmeter giving it a median of 84.5.
A viewer wrote on Twitter: "I don't care what anyone says, this is one of my all time favorites, and despite being 10 years old, it hasn't dated. I WISH, it was dated, I wish the superhero craze was gone and that Keaton still wasn't stuck doing nostalgia bait. But our loss is this movie's gain."
"Lol when to see this blind. At about 20th minutes in I said to who was watching with me "this shot hasn't cut yet". Amazing cinema experience," a second added.
Another stated: "It is! Too little talked about. I see this as a masterpiece."
2) 1917 (2019)
Written by Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns and directed by Mendes too, the film's editor is Lee Smith.
The film takes place after the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line during Operation Alberich and follows two British soldiers, Will Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), in a race against time to cross over enemy territory and deliver a message to call off a doomed attack.
The legendary Andrew Scott (Fleabag), Richard Madden (Bodyguard), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Colin Firth (Mamma Mia) also appear in the release.
The film isn't one continuous shot - despite its appearance - with dozens of 'invisible' edits being made, covered up within transitionary moments of characters passing behind objects for example.
Mendes said, as per IMDb, the shortest unbroken shot measured 39 seconds and the longest single continuous shot was between eight and 12 minutes long.
Over 5,200 feet (1,584 meters) of trenches (just under one mile) were dug for the film, IMDb notes.
And with officially fresh Rotten Tomatoes scores both coming in at 88, it's not a surprise viewers have praised 1917 as 'the best World War movie'.
"The camera work in this movie is amazing," another user noted.
A final added: "Yeah, that movie was intense. The one-shot style makes it feel so immersive, like you’re right there with them the whole time."
But which came out on top? Well, it was only right that another Stephen Graham banger takes the top spot of this week's UNILAD RANKED.
1) Boiling Point (2021)
Written by Barantini and James Cummings, based on a 2019 short film of the same name, the film was directed by Philip Barantini.
Starring Graham alongside Vinette Robinson (Six Four), Ray Panthaki (Gangs of London) and Hannah Walters (Time), the film is indeed a one-take film, the 90 minutes of action filmed in a single, continuous shot and not edited with any cuts.
The one-take approach was chosen by Barantini to enhance the realism and pressure-cooker environment of working in a kitchen and restaurant - the one-take helping truly immerse the audience within the action.
If you've ever worked in a restaurant and even more so, got an insight into its kitchen like me, you'll realize just how skin-pricklingly accurate Boiling Point is.
With a Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer score of 99 and popcornmeter of 86 - giving a median of 92.5 - the British drama is a much-loved hit.
One Twitter user said: "Boiling Point (2021) is like binging all three season finales of The Bear in one sitting. Sizzling dialogue. Conflict cooked to perfection. Fresh, never frozen Stephen Graham. It’s a short watch, but one you won’t soon forget."
"Recently did a rewatch of the Boiling Point film and tv show. I gotta say they're still amazing, as someone who has worked in this industry I can relate to it so well (it gives me PTSD lol). I highly recommend checking the film out first following the tv show, it's superb!" Another added.
And a third resolved: "After watching the brilliant series Adolescence, I explored more of Stephen Graham’s work. I’d overlooked Boiling Point—a film shot in a single, unbroken take. It’s an extraordinary achievement. How did this masterpiece escape my notice?"
With the praise 'masterpiece' used to describe pretty much every one of UNILAD RANKED's top five this week, what are you waiting for?
UNILAD RANKED is a weekly series with a new article released every Friday.
Topics: Netflix, Adolescence, Stephen Graham, Film and TV, Entertainment, UNILAD RANKED, Review, Reviews, Social Media, Technology
Poppy Bilderbeck