Rebel

There are very few examples of films that are truly one-shot pieces from start to end. Boiling Point and 1917 are probably the two most famous examples. Although they're both fantastic films in their own rights, the drawback that they share is that, in order to complete the film, there had to be compromises for certain scenes to reduce the complexity and increase the chances of getting it right in one continuous attempt. For a music video like Rebel, the temptation would have surely been there to do the same, to tell a story with a couple of easy beats in order to give them a fighting chance of getting it done in one.

The story is indeed simple, and to a point, it's actually a fairly common trope of the action genre. An everyday man on a motorbike runs into a drug dealer and for one reason or another, a fight breaks out. But the action is anything but.

It's almost reminiscent of The Raid - all of the action takes place in an abandoned building of sorts and there are plenty of natural resources to create great shots with. The amount of dust would cause a cinematographer nightmares in usual circumstances, but in Rebel, it's used to create an almost tangible grittiness to its visuals.

The fights themselves are sloppy, messy, and entirely refreshing. There are a few bits that are clearly choreographed, but for the most part it looks as if we could have stumbled upon a real fight. Compared to your average American action flick, it just oozes with authenticity. There aren't any quick cuts to disguise anything due to its form of being one long take, and it isn't shy about showing its faults as a result.

Rebel feels like it's exactly what we need in an environment of mass-produced, low-effort action movies. It may not have the budget of those films, but it makes up for that with its heart.