If filmmakers want to keep their audiences hooked, then they’ve got to hit them right off the bat with an incredible intro.
That’s especially important for an action movie. After all, it’s a genre of gunfights, fisticuffs, and car chases, so fans are expecting excitement — and fast. That means the movie has got to start off with an explosion of action-packed awesomeness and never slow down. Whether you’re introducing your characters in the most badass way possible or tossing moviegoers directly into a firefight, it’s all about making sure your audience is dying to see what kind of crazy spectacle will happen next. And the films that succeed with their first few minutes often get to live on in the bullet-riddled, blood-stained halls of action film glory. From costumed gangs gathering in the streets to automobile moves that would make a NASCAR driver nervous, these are some of the greatest opening scenes in action movie history.
Meet the Warriors
Opening credits can do a lot more than just introduce the cast and crew. They create a mood for the audience, introduce the world of the film, and get expository info out of the way so the rest of the movie can focus on the action. And when it comes to The Warriors, director Walter Hill wastes no time in setting up the stakes from the very first frame.
As the credits start to roll, Barry De Vorzon’s electric theme starts driving the pace, letting us know tonight is going to be one wild ride. Hill immediately introduces us to the titular gang — in all their leather-vested glory—waiting for a Coney Island subway. This is where the Warriors call home, but things are uneasy tonight under the lights of the Wonder Wheel. With just a few snippets of dialogue, we listen as the Warriors talk about what’s going down in the five boroughs. Every gang in New York is headed to the Bronx to meet a messianic figure named Cyrus. Everybody is supposed to play nice for one evening, and that means everyone is supposed to leave their weapons at home.
The way Hill drops all this info is so economical. He even cuts to a subway map to show us the Warriors are about to find themselves far from their Coney Island turf. And as our ragtag heroes plan their odyssey to the Bronx, Hill cuts to shots of other colorful gangs headed to the summit. We’re introduced to the Saracens, the Savage Huns, and the Electric Hurricanes. We’ve got mimes, camouflaged militants, and super fly guys with purple fedoras. In just six minutes, we’ve met our main characters, we understand the stakes, and we’ve got a feel for this fantasy world. So when the truce is broken and things get crazy, we’re already primed for what’s going down. Can you dig it?[/nextpage][nextpage]
The greatest opening in cinematic history
What’s the greatest opening scene of all time? Sure, there’s the Rebels trying to outrun the Empire in Star Wars and the thrilling bank robbery/Joker reveal in The Dark Knight. But if we’re handing out a little gold idol… er… trophy for the best opening in cinematic history (let alone action movie history), we’re giving that award to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
After the Paramount logo dissolves into an actual mountain, director Steven Spielberg plunges viewers into a world of old-timey serials and Saturday morning adventures. A mysterious guide leads two treasure hunters into a rainforest filled with scary sculptures and poisoned arrows, and when one of the explorers tries to put a bullet in his back, the guide whips the pistol out of his hand. And that’s when this enigmatic adventurer steps out of the shadows, giving the world its first good look at the stubbled visage of Indiana Jones.
But it’s when Jones steps into a hidden temple that you really know Raiders is going to be special. The place is filled with giant spiders and nasty booby traps, and when Indy snatches up a priceless idol, he’s forced to flee from the world’s most famous boulder. It’s one setback after another, and even when Jones makes his way outside, he finds himself face to face with his arch-rival and an army of very unhappy natives. And while this classic opening is non-stop action, it teaches us everything we need to know about Jones. He’s a man of action, and he’s a problem solver. He’s a little cocky, and every so often, he screws up royally. Most importantly, this guy can face arrows and arachnids, pistols and deep, dark pits, and nothing at all can faze him… except for a little old snake.[/nextpage][nextpage]
Surfing and Shooting
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, Point Break is about two dudes who might love each other or might end up killing one another in an extreme sports showdown… or both. On one side of the law, you’ve got Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves), the ex-jock turned FBI agent. On the other, you’ve got Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), the zen surfer who spends his days riding waves and robbing banks. Eventually, these two are destined to collide, and when they do, they’re going trade bullets, beliefs, and some romantic tension. But before Utah and Bodhi cross paths, we get to see them in their own worlds, each man doing what he does best.
Point Break opens with Bodhi in complete control of the ocean, looking like a Greek god as he slides across the swells. But as Bodhi moves in slow motion, we cut to Johnny Utah, standing in the rain with a shotgun. He’s getting drenched, but that can’t slow this sniper down. The FBI rookie is blasting target after target at a shooting range, picking each one to pieces. (That’s something that might come into play later on.) As Utah fires and Bodhi surfs, Bigelow cuts back and forth, showing each guy in their element, each man absolutely soaked with H2O. It’s Big Brother and the dude bro, and eventually, these two will surf into each other’s lives and wind up in the ultimate showdown — and the ultimate bromance.[/nextpage][nextpage]
Trinity kicks off a blockbuster
It’s easy to forget nowadays — largely thanks to the inferior sequels — but when The Matrix came out in 1999, it was a pop cultural force to be reckoned with. The movie spawned a host of imitators, popularized bullet time, and created memes that live on to this day. And it was all kickstarted with, well, a kick.
Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, The Matrix opens with a wall of digital rain and a mysterious conversation between two unseen people about somebody called “The One.” That’s when the cops show up, moving down an abandoned apartment hallway and busting down a door. On the other side sits Trinity (Carrie Anne-Moss), clad in shiny black leather and ready for a showdown. We don’t know why the police want her, but we quickly find out they’re never going to catch her.
When a cop brings out the cuffs, Trinity leaps into the air, the camera swings around, and time stops for just a moment, long enough for us to revel in Trinity’s badassery. She’s frozen there for a second, and then comes the kick, launching the cop across the room. Moments later she’ll run up a wall and then leap across a city street like she’s some sort of hero, all before mysteriously disappearing inside a telephone booth. Audiences were hooked from scene one, and the Wachowskis owe a major debt to Carrie Anne-Moss for kicking their film off in the right way.[/nextpage][nextpage]
The world’s greatest police officer
Directed by Edgar Wright, Hot Fuzz works on many levels. It’s a brilliant comedy, a slasher film, a rom-com, and a fantastic satire of Michael Bay-style action movies. But while it pokes fun at Point Break and Bad Boys II, it’s also a solid action flick that revels in the joys of badass 360 shots and images of guys flying through the hair, Glocks in each hand.
Sgt. Nicholas Angel, on the other hand, absolutely hates all this action movie foolishness.
Played to serious perfection by Simon Pegg, Nicholas Angel has no time for fun and games. The man is all about bringing down bad guys the proper way. When we first see Angel, he’s marching straight towards the camera, all purpose and no nonsense. His stony expression perfectly matches the photo on his ID, and as Martin Freeman’s narration kicks in, we discover that Angel is the world’s greatest cop.
In a rapid-fire montage, we watch as Angel takes on rioters, brings down drug dealers, and survives an unwelcome gift from Father Christmas (Peter Jackson). We learn he’s an expert at everything from cycling and judo to the 100-meter dash. And when he’s not beating his teammates at chess and fencing, he’s putting them to shame in the streets by racking up the highest arrest record for any officer in London. He’s brilliant in the classroom and beloved by the community, and through it all, he never cracks a smile. He’s the perfect police officer, and the whole opening montage is a fantastic setup for seconds later, when Angel is kicked off the force…for being too perfect.
(Excerpt) Read More at: Looper.com[/nextpage]