Empire of the Sun
Spielberg finds a nice middle ground between the spectacle, sentiment, and solemnity that tend to fall out of balance in the director’s “grown-up” efforts.
Historical Fiction
Valkyrie
There are several tense encounters where you are led to believe Hitler suspects and is about to blow the whole thing.
The New World
Such combinations of music, poetry, moving images, and editing simply can’t be done in any other medium.
Army of Shadows
Melville understands that action can deflate the sense of suspense—the real battles we see are fought within the minds of the Resistance members, as they are thrust into futile situations and must set aside their moral qualms for the sake of the greater good, which they know they will likely not live to see.