Summary
Thegreatest opening movie scenesin some of the best crime dramas of all time hook the audience right away in a genre that often overlaps with thriller.The opening scene of a crime movie hopefully establishes the characters and the stakes,or perhaps subverts expectations by doing neither of these things but still being intriguing enough that the audience will stick around to learn about the real plot. However, in most exemplary cases, it at least starts to hint at the movie’s overarching themes.
The best crime movies are only effective because the script conveys something morethan a guide on how to rob a bank. Likely the story explores why the protagonist lives a life of crime, or what will be accomplished from a specific heist, beyond becoming rich. The best opening scenes in crime movies often stand out because of unprecedented action or dialogue that begins to unravel the mentality of the main characters.
10The Godfather (1972)
A favor is asked of Don Corleone.
Possibly one of the most famous opening scenes to a movie of all time, kicking off the preeminent crime drama,the first scene inThe Godfathershowcases Marlon Brando’s genre-defining performancewith the introduction of Don Vito Corleone. Vito is remarkably calm and measured throughout the scene, but Brando still conveys the terror he carries with him. He also discusses with the undertaker Amerigo Bonasera how they both"believe in America,“establishing the trilogy’s themes of the cost of success and the true nature of the American Dream.
When Amerigo asks for justice for his daughter, Vito lives up to his magnificently terrible reputation— which the audience knows little about at this point but can infer based on the scene alone — when he questions why Amerigo is only asking for friendship now,“on the day of [his] daughter’s wedding.“It is revealed that Vito and Amerigo have approached life in America in different ways: Vito building his crime dynasty and Amerigo working hard and allowing his daughter freedom. Vito asks only for loyalty, another major theme in the story, in this dark, quietly dramatic scene.
The Godfather
The Godfather chronicles the Italian-American Corleone crime family from 1945 to 1955. Following an assassination attempt on family patriarch Vito Corleone, his youngest son Michael emerges to orchestrate a brutal campaign of retribution, cementing his role in the family’s illicit empire.
9Molly’s Game (2017)
Molly recaps her career and talks about “the worst thing that can happen in sports.”
It’s a surprising but riveting introduction to the story where Molly breaks the fourth wall as a narrator.
Molly’s Gamerecounts the true story of Molly Bloom, a former athlete who hosted high-stakes poker games for the rich and famous.The movie opens with an overview of Molly’s skiing career rather than gambling,with Molly rattling off stats and the events that led to her injury. A montage is formed by footage of various sporting events, scenes of young Molly training and undergoing surgery, and the one-in-a-million wipe-out that ended her career just before she qualified for the Olympics.
It’s a surprising but riveting introduction to the story where Molly breaks the fourth wall as a narrator. Just before the title drops, the scene ends with Molly lying in the snow after crashing, and she says:
“None of this has anything to do with poker. I’m mentioning it because I wanted to say to whoever answered that the worst thing that can happen in sports is getting 4th place at the Olympics: Seriously? F**ck you.”
The fascinating montage captures the viewer right away and shows thatMolly is aware of the story she is telling.It establishes several things that will be important:Molly’s competitiveness, her bitterness over the end of her career, her troubled relationship with her father, and the fast-paced narrative.
Molly’s Game
With a screenplay and direction from Aaron Sorkin, 2017’s Molly’s Game is a Crime, Drama, and Biography film starring Jessica Chastain, Kevin Costner, and Idris Elba. The film follows a woman who’s running an underground Poker empire that caters to the rich and famous as it’s exposed by the FBI.
8No Country For Old Men (2007)
Javier Bardem’s villain and Tommy Lee Jones' sheriff characters are introduced.
No Country for Old Menopens with Tommy Lee Jones' Ed Tom Bell narrating how his grandfather and father were both law enforcers before him,beginning the movie’s discourse about morality and what"oldtimers"like Bell deal with going up against new criminals like Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh.The voice-over is accompanied by some establishing shots of the rural Texas setting, which draws people into the Old West feel of the story. Some people might consider this monologue to be the opening scene; others will say it continues with Chigurh’s first on-screen murders.
Chigurh is certainly one of themost brutal villains in movie historyand proves that within the first five minutes. After being arrested, he strangles a police officer in the station itself and kills a passerby to requisition his car. However,all this violence happening right away establishes the tone ofNo Country for Old Men,with Chigurh’s absolute focus when killing people playing a major part in its overall message.
No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men is a western crime-thriller based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy and directed by the Cohen Brothers. Following three protagonists, the film centers around a large $2,000,000+ cache of dirty money lost near the Rio Grande. With a veteran who finds it, a hitman who will stop at nothing to get it, and a sheriff trying to investigate the crimes connected to it, all roads lead to death and mayhem as they find themselves in each other’s crosshairs.
7The Fast And The Furious (2001)
The Fast & Furious franchise starts with a classic freeway heist.
Themost ridiculous scenes in theFast & Furiousmoviescome in the later installments, as the laws of physics slowly lose their relevance in the story. However, the first movie opens with a thrilling, relatively plausible high-speed hijacking scene. While the hijackers' faces are hidden to preserve some mystery,it establishes the type of crime that characterizesFast & Furious’setting and the story.Brian then goes undercover to track down the people responsible for the hijacking and insists it cannot be Dom and his family because Dom is too controlled.
However, the story comes back around to the opening scene when the police conclude — without any new evidence — that it has to be Dom’s crew. No one else is skilled enough to pull it off, and Dom’s focus is an asset. WhileFast & Furiousdoesn’t delve too much into crime as an ethical discourse,it does showcase how the characters are better than everyone else at what they do. This point is perhaps even more impactful in the first movie’s opening scene, where the audience might believe the stunts are actually possible.
The Fast and the Furious
The Fast and the Furious, released in 2001, follows undercover cop Brian O’Conner as he infiltrates the world of Los Angeles street racers led by Dominic Toretto. While investigating a series of truck hijackings, he becomes entangled with Toretto’s crew and faces a dilemma between loyalty and duty.
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6Watchmen (2009)
The Comedian is attacked in his apartment in a brilliant fight scene.
The intro credits of Zack Snyder’sWatchmenare praiseworthy, showcasing the rise and fall of superheroes in the grimdark world of the comics. It shows the brutal murders and imprisonment of some of these heroes, leading to an anti-vigilante act being passed, as well as introducing other details about the setting. However, the true opening scene is the amazingly executed fight that happens after this montage, wherethe costumed hero known as"the Comedian"is attacked by an unknown assailant.
The scene’s lighting is worthy of merit alone, as it maintains the dark atmosphere while the action is still visible.The well-planned choreography is augmented by alternating sped-up and slow-motion effects before the Comedian is thrown out the windowof his apartment. WhileWatchmenmay have garnered average reviews, the first scene poignantly showcases the gritty tone and destruction of the story.
Watchmen
Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder, is a gritty adaptation of the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. The film takes place in an alternate 1985 America during the Cold War, following a group of retired superheroes investigating the murder of one of their own. As they delve deeper, they uncover a complex conspiracy that could alter the course of history. The ensemble cast includes Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, and Malin Akerman.
5Baby Driver (2017)
Amazing music and car stunts are Baby Driver’s forte from the start.
The brilliant opening scene inBaby Drivershows how music is a part of Baby’s daily routine.The movie will perfectly incorporate it into every action sequence, with particular beats and sounds coming in at the perfect moments. While Buddy, Darling, and Griff rob a bank, Baby is enjoying himself listening to music in the car outside. It is a unique moment that illustrates how Baby lets the song take over, with amusing details like him operating the windshield wipers in time with the rhythm.
The scene only gets better when the car chase starts, showing exactly what kind of slick car stunts will characterize the rest of the movie. Baby is cool and professional, operating perfectly so long as he has his headphones in.Baby Driverhas a strong start with a demonstration of how action and classic songs are woven togetherin the story.
Baby Driver
After being coerced into working for a crime boss, getaway driver Baby is determined to escape his life of thievery and violence to make a life with his girlfriend Debora, However, when he finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail, things start looking desperate.
4Inception (2010)
The mind-bending world of dream realities is illustrated in the first heist.
While not a crime movie in the traditional sense,Christopher Nolan’s career-defining thriller focuses on a cast of characters operating largely outside the lawas they work to conduct an immensely complex"dream heist.“The opening sequence ofInceptionshows Cobb, Arthur, and Saito locked in a tense negotiation where the concept of implanting ideas in someone’s mind is first described. Other moments that will be important to the story also feature: Cobb has a brief vision of his children before he even speaks with Saito and Mal shows up later to sabotage the mission.
However, what truly defines the sequence and sets everything up is the double"it was all a dream"reveal and the examples of how the different layers of dreams affect each other. The reveal that they are all sleeping isn’t that surprising given the context; but the reveal that there is another dream layer raises the stakes.Cobb is pushed backward into a tub of water while sleeping and sees his dream setting floodedin a stunning conclusion to the first dream.Inception’sfirst scene lives up to what the entire movie will be.
Inception
Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan, features a skilled thief who uses dream-sharing technology to steal corporate secrets. He is tasked with planting an idea into a CEO’s mind, while confronting his troubled past, which threatens the mission and his team.
3Goodfellas (1990)
There is a noise in the trunk and Henry Hill “always wanted to be a gangster.”
Goodfellas’opening scene is simple in concept but still effective. The revving car engine as the lead actors' names dash on screen and the simple shots of a car driving down a dark highway still convey tension and fear.Then it cuts to a shot of three of the most famous gangster actors of all time in the car,commenting on the noise coming from the trunk.
They pull over to properly kill their still-alive victim in the trunk, beforeRay Liotta’s famous voice-over line:“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”The bloody opening is a shocking intro into what kind of movie this will be. It is made more poignant by the three men’s relative coolness over the situation and the protagonist’s immediate assertion that this is what he wanted. Every minimalist element in this opener hits exactly right to lead into the landmark crime drama.
Goodfellas
GoodFellas chronicles the life of Henry Hill, a young Brooklynite with half-Irish, half-Sicilian heritage, as he rises through the ranks of a Mafia family. As he navigates the criminal underworld, he is mentored by seasoned gangster Jimmy Conway amidst the backdrop of organized crime in New York.
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2The Dark Knight (2009)
The Joker makes an entry into Nolan’s trilogy like no other villain.
It is a worthy introduction to Heath Ledger’s iteration of the iconic villain, demonstrating how clever and dangerous he is.
The best movie in Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogy opens with a robbery sequence terrifying and misdirecting enough to segue into the action of the rest of the movie.The masked robbers mention the name"the Joker"as they head into the action,commenting that it seems unfair he gets a cut while sitting out the danger. This throwaway line teases the fulfillment of what the trailers have promised: The appearance of Batman’s most famous nemesis.
Throughout the bloody heist, the robbers keep mentioning the Joker,building up to the final reveal that he has been there all along, having arranged for all the members of his crew to kill each other until he is the only survivor. It is a worthy introduction to Heath Ledger’s iteration of the iconic villain, demonstrating how clever and dangerous he is. The entire sequence is perfectly staged and edited, making for a tight, riveting first action scene.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is the second installment in the Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale as Batman. Released in 2008, the film follows Batman’s alliance with Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent as they combat the organized crime that threatens Gotham, facing the menacing Joker.
1Pulp Fiction (1994)
Tarantino’s writing style dominates the first scene of Pulp Fiction, before a wild twist.
Pulp Fictionopens on a couple sitting in a diner, having a calm but animated conversation about their work as criminals. Quentin Tarantino proved his ability to write razor-sharp dialogue early on in his career, with this scene being a prime example.“Honey Bunny"and"Pumpkin"discuss past robberies, different techniques, and allude to the idea of leaving behind a life of crime,even though neither of them is committed to it. Ironically, these comments come back around with the scene in the movie’s ending when Jules has decided to live a better life.
Honey Bunny and Pumpkin’s conversation abruptly ends when they decide to rob the diner.They both reveal their weapons and start shouting threats, in a shocking transition characteristic of Tarantino’s movies. Due toPulp Fiction’sformat, the scene ends there, with the rest of the robbery only being revealed at the end. However, it is clear based on this example alone that Tarantino’s approach to the crime genre is vital to creating unforgettable opening scenes like this.
Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino’s classic tale of violence and redemption follows the intertwining tales of three protagonists: hitman Vincent Vega, prizefighter Butch Coolidge, and Vincent’s business partner Jules Winnfield.
