someone else mentioned Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (‘98) — but for me — almost anything from Guy Ritchie has great pacing, humour, some twists and little nods
For me, Spike Lee's Inside Man
Palm Springs is the perfect 90-minute comedy movie. Set up, punchline, move on. No time to stop for laughs. I've watched it 30 times.
I think pacing is of it’s time. Movies that seemed perfectly paced on release can seem slow now, as pacing has changed. So, to me, there is no such thing as perfect pacing as the movie may seem different in retrospect, which doesn’t take away from it.
Look at purposeful slowing of the pace in anime scenes. Look at intentionally hyper fast pacing in thrillers like Taken. Both have more artistic merit than a well paced marvel movie that moves along but feels pedestrian.
Playing with pacing can also make it fun, like memento or pulp fiction.
I’d say, particularly well paced films are usually long epics like gladiator, braveheart, titanic, lord of the rings: as they need to be to carry the audience through a longer narrative. Or twisty thrillers that change course and weave, so you don’t stop to think too much and miss the magic, like sixth sense or silence of the lambs.
Interesting question, though.
Dredd and Civil War.
Both make it easy for themselves: keep it short, have a stated goal from the start, get to it, the end.
For Dredd, they need to get to the top of the megabuilding and take out the gang leader, the end.
For Civil War they need to go into the warzone to interview the President, the end.
Love it.
The Crow is one. It is such a mix of great lines, bad acting, bad lines, and good acting but the pacing overall is pretty good.
Hopefuly someone studies that film on why it works.
Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels. It doesn't have crazy action, but it doesn't have a single boring or slow scene where nothing happens.
Twin Peaks Fire Walk with Me
Sorcerer! Seriously, go watch Sorcerer.
Crank
Airplane!
It moves along at the speed of its gags and never drags or feels rushed.
Matrix 4. It's not a good movie, but the pacing & the electronic music are first class.
The Hateful 8. I could see people thinking it's too slow, but it's perfect to me. Every single issue in Act I slowly boils to a head in Act III.
Gone in Sixty Seconds.
The Prestige
Dead Man, a perfect slow burn the whole way.
For me, it's Le Samouraï, a noir thriller from the 60s. Most people would consider it slow, but I think it gives enough time for an audience to take in important details, think about what's going on, and experience tension. It stands in stark contrast to many modern films where there's always something happening.
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