Lubezki's Hand-Held Camera

A single continuous shot out of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki's 40-pound hand-held (not Steadicam, as many assume) is the star of Alfonso Cuaron's "Children of Men," and that's not to say the nervy dystopian thriller is not a superbly edgy, dire cautionary nightmare of a dying, infertile planet with or without the unbroken take. But all the rampant chaos of "Children of Men," in a blast of propulsive urgency, and absolute sense of exhilaration, not seen in quite a while, is lent full heed in the final act as Theo (Clive Owen) is thrust into a skirmish at a refugee camp, amidst bombardments of bullets and shrapnel (you hear his ears ring with aural overload), to escort Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) and her newborn, the first of a new generation, to safety. Droplets of blood strike the lens, but the cataclysmic action doesn't stop for a second in a give-or-take six-minute sequence that's the product of fearless genius.