10. Narc
This criminally underrated cop thriller begins with the bluest, fastest, most intense foot chase scene you’ll ever see, made incredibly visceral by a shaky hand-held camera and a lack of distracting soundtrack. Having picked this up for 50p from a going-out-of-business DVD rental shop and not really expecting anything groundbreaking from it, this scene absolutely floored me. And it’s not even the best part of the film.
9. Inglourious Basterds
I could equally have gone for the openings of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill Vol. 1 as my Tarantino choice but the introduction to SS Colonel Hans Landa is so beautifully paced, shot and acted that it pretty much chose itself. A more compelling scene based on social niceties and milk quality you’ll never see.
8. The Breakfast Club
We hear “Don’t You Forget About Me”, which always compels me to air-drum. We hear the letter they write at the end. We get introduced to all of the kids as they turn up for detention, which establishes their characters – the brain, the athlete, the princess, the basket-case and the criminal. It’s an economical beginning, but a memorable, completely John Hughesian one.
7. Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
A very cool opening to a very cool film. From Jason Statham’s market patter to Ocean Colour Scene’s “Hundred Mile High City” soundtracking, there’s practically nothing to dislike about it. Apart from Statham throwing the open suitcase down the stairs in slo-mo – I still don’t know why he does that, and it pisses me off every time I see it.
6. Once Upon A Time In The West
I can’t think of an opening sequence that takes so long to get to such a quick payoff. We watch the three hired goons (originally intended to be Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach, apparently) wait for Harmonica for about 10 minutes during the credits – he turns up, makes a crack about the number of horses they brought and kills them. It’s incredible how hooked you can get on so little action.
5. Goodfellas
I couldn’t not have a Scorsese one in here somewhere. Pitching us in at the middle of the story, we get gratuitous violence immediately juxtaposed with a jazzy, upbeat Tony Bennett song symbolising the glamour of the gangster life, along with Henry Hill’s immortal line: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” Iconic isn’t even the word.
4. Mission:Impossible III
Considering M:I-2 was ultimately quite a fun, harmless film, the opening of its sequel is pretty harrowing. Like Goodfellas, we’re thrown into the middle of the film with Ethan Hunt trying to convince Philip Seymour Hoffman not to shoot his wife. Very tense, very dark. Tom Cruise actually doing some good acting.
3. The Godfather
“I believe in America.” The camera starting close-up on Bonasera’s face and zooming out slowly over Corleone’s shoulder. The stray cat that had been wandering around the set and was dropped into Brando’s lap just before the scene started. The tux. Duvall and Caan. “Someday, and that day may never come, I’ll call upon you to do a service for me.” Genius.
2. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
I once ripped this off for a story I wrote at school when I was about 10 – for some reason I assumed that the teacher hadn’t seen Raiders but obviously he had. Anyway, the opening introduces you to all the key element of the Indy series – the whip, the archaeology (grave-robbing), the fear of snakes, the triumphing against adversity, etc. And the theme tune. Love the theme tune.
1. Saving Private Ryan
Now I know that the opening scene is technically the one with old James Ryan in the French war cemetery, but whenever I consider my favourite opening scene, I always come back to this one. Shot in desaturated colours by Janusz Kaminski, it’s the leading up to storming the beach that always gets me rather than when they actually get onto it. Has to be the best battle sequence ever filmed, if only because of how realistic it seems.
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