Your talk of audio reminds me of how the climax of The Last of the Mohicans (1992) is so powerful because of its restrained sound. The silence of Chingachgook's inaudible wail makes me want to weep. The slicing of knives and reports from rifles are second to the score:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BxDpOu3cD0&t=320

(It won the Oscar for Best Sound that year.)