And how about setting the beginning of Night of the Living Dead in a cemetery. The introduction of modern horror deserves a spot (a high spot) on this list. border that will have you scratching your head as to how exactly Welles and his crew pulled it off. This mostly-forgotten crime gem (directed by one Orson Welles) stars Charlton Heston as a Mexican cop and offers a long, one-shot car bomb sequence across the Mexico/U.S. And whatever other kind of complimentary adjective you can think of. When something’s mocked more than a thousand times, it’s memorable. Henry guide young Vito to America, where a busied immigration clerk mistakes Vito’s home town, Corleone, for his last name. Lush cinematography, wide lenses and universal storytelling in the vein of O. The origin of a killer through the eyes of Francis Ford Coppola. The rest of the film is tame compared to this (much like Lord of War in that way). Joe Carnahan and Jason Patric, and one of the most visceral, violent and blue foot chases you’ll ever see.
The text at the opening of this opening: “The Dawn Of Man.” And as it turns out, it’s also the dawn of violence.īefore Greengrass and Bourne’s hand-held fury, there was this. The first scene in Quentin Tarantino’s feature film career is one of his best. We live in a world without birth, the youngest man has just been murdered…boom. No other sci-fi film has established it’s world quicker, smarter or more naturally than Cuaron’s masterpiece. In a few dolly shots and one extreme close up (above), Orson Welles offers moviegoers the greatest mystery in American cinema. The quintessential meta-film, Robert Altman makes good on his satirical promise right off the bat, with a 5-minute long shot during which Fred Ward’s security guard laments the death of the long shot to another on the lot. An opening as ambitious as it is ponderous, beautiful and haunting, all we have for comfort is Jonny Greenwood’s terrifying score and Daniel Day-Lewis falling down a mine shaft. Even when catching up with a nosediving plane in mid-air.īut first, there will be silence. After over 5 years of Bond-lessness (and many, many more lacking any quality Bond), director Martin Campbell and television star Pierce Brosnan remind us why Bond will always be shaken, but truly never stirred. Talk about announcing your presence with authority. That lone, long eyebrow deserves an Oscar all on its own. Kubrick gives us the face of pure evil, and then holds on it for what feels like a century. One of the best villain introductions of all time, and after a run-and-gun bank heist. What’s that noise? The sound of Scorsese figuring out a way to make the gangster film vital again. What’s left, though it be underrated, feels normal and cliched in many ways. Or any of Lars von Trier’s films come to think of it.įellini’s unofficial 8 1/2 companion piece starts with this strange image: a praying Jesus hooked to the bottom of a helicopter, begging the question: what is that supposed to mean? Only slightly more memorable than 8 1/2‘s existential car wash/beach opening.Īndrew Niccol’s “Life of a Bullet” (outlined briefly above) sequence is one of those openings that might actually hurt the rest of the film, it’s so good. As hard to forget as the rest of the film. Painfully slow, painfully detailed and painfully, well, painful. This won’t be the last time Tarantino makes the list.Īlong with the sweet irony of the setting (a film called Vertigo begins with a rooftop chase), the invention of the zolly shot. It introduces the film’s best character (Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa) and second best character (Melanie Laurent’s Shosanna) and, in between, offers viewers an amazing conversation that’s mostly about milk and rumors. Let the opinions begin below and click watch to check them out if available.įor many (including yours truly), this is the best scene in the film. Runner-ups: The Matrix, Rope, Sin City, Desperado, and Halloween. This list is in honor of Anton Corbijn’s The American, which offers one of the best openings of the year. These films below maintain said promises (for the most part). Many of these gems are short films by themselves, working with a beginning, middle and end that shakes its audiences and makes big promises the rest of the film will (in many cases) struggle to keep. Many films hinge on its success, much like the 25 below. It throws us into its world, introduces us it to its characters and establishes its tone.
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