Best Openings to Thrillers

Thriller Openings
Golden Eye-


In the opening of Golden eye there is action from the outset which sets the audience up for what is to come during the film. From the beginning of the film the action is non stop and draws the audience into the film by attracting their attention. At the beginning of the opening for the film the actor dives to enter the action but this action is repeated for the exit of the opening and gives off a sense of trying to avoid the danger. I feel that this makes a good thriller opening as the action to begin the opening and close it is highly exhilarating and easily catches the audience’s attention and allows them to get an insight into the movie itself. the first shot of the opening is a pan shot. This shot is effective because it shows the enormity and scale of the challenge ahead. The fact that there is a large amount of action within the beginning few minutes gives off the impression that there will be a lot more to come. 



28 Days Later-




In the opening to 28 days later it shows the film through the eyes of the main character and I feel that the fact that you see the film through his eyes and allows the audience to see what he see’s this is effective as it allows the audience to know as little as the main character does. The use of wide angled camera shots and a soundtrack that to foreshadow the feeling of loneliness. This is done by seeing the man not knowing where he is and what has happened to everyone else.

The Departed

This is an effective thriller opening because of the use of a voice over. The voice is of one of the main characters in this film, it is also quite a deep males voice which is commonly thought of as quite threatening or aggressive, both shown as the male walks into the shop and acts like he owns the place. You can also tell that the little kid in the shop that has been given free food by the main character will play a bigger part later on in the film, making the audience think how he could be used as a character. 
Memento-

The opening of memento focuses on a photograph for a long amount of time showing that there is a large amount of significance. The photograph that is taken goes backwards in time. After a few minutes the film then goes to the present time. The film also outlines the main characters condition which highlights the relevance of the photographs, showing the importance of his illness. The images during the opening allow the audience to see where the main character has been and who he knows. This effect causes tension, and so does the use of music because it creates a tempo that rises and falls constantly. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7amnpa5CXo

Drive-

This thriller opening is effective because of the use of shadows on the main character, these shadows foreshadow his future and show to the audience that the danger is inevitable. The deep sounds of the cars engine which shows that his car has been adapted to go faster this could show that he is expecting to be chased by someone or need to get away from something quickly This could show the audience that there are going to be car chases throughout the film.

V for Vendetta-

The opening to V for Vendetta contains most of the key characteristics that are used in thrillers. One of these key points is that the 'hero's' identity has been kept from the audience. The fact that the hero's identity is kept will keep the audience engaged with the film and will allow them with something to be thinking about. This is because they will want to know who is under the mask.

All good things- 

i feel that All good things is an effective thriller opening as it begins in the present day and then goes backwards. i also feel that it has a large sense of mystery in the opening as it is a voice over of a court hearing. this is effective as it allows the audience to speculate as to who they believe is guilty. The opening of the film is very much darkness and i feel that it emphasizes the sense of mystery and unable's the audience to see fully what the action on the screen is. The voice over allows the audience with a small insight into the main characters life. The fact that the audience does not know the story as to why the character is being interviewed will make the audience question the character and what he had done before this point in time. The shot type in the opening of the film varies from long distance allowing the audience to see the large scale of what has happened, to over the shoulder allowing minimal access to what the character can see itself.