Analysing An Opening

The Usual Suspects

I have chosen to analyse the opening of 'The Usual Suspects', directed by Bryan Singer and starring Kevin Spacey. I felt that this opening was the most exciting and stylish of the thriller beginnings we looked at as a class.

The opening shot is of fire, already this gives us the idea of danger. Next we see a man that is looking half dead, in front of a blazing fire behind him. I felt that the fire was reminiscent of the gates of hell, further setting the scene and giving a sense of danger and evil. There is also the ominous sound of running water.

We are already intrigued as to what is going on, when the fire is lit a trail sets ablaze to be stopped by some water being poured down. Next the viewer sees the dark, scary silhouette of someone. The man walks slowly, showing he is in power here, he isn't afraid of the fire. I associated the figure with the devil, the man seems to be in power of the fire, further reinforced when he lights the lighter, the darkness shrouds his hand and the fire looks to be produced from him. His power is once again reinforced when we learn his name, Kaiser. Kaiser being the German word for Emperor. Once again in the way that Kaiser hold his gun we see the power and attitude he has.

The two guns shots ringing out shows  how far away from anyone else these two men are, this makes it seem eerie and away from the rest of the world.

What really makes this opening effective is the music. The strings and low noises build a sense of tension. There is a clicking sound as well, it sounds like some sort of creeping, adding to the sense that this is far away and there aren't many people around. Just after we first see Kaiser there is a sound of a bell, much like a church bell. This adds to the religious aspect of the gates of hell and made me think of the day of judgement.

I would like to add that I really thought that the part prior to this, the opening credits, where also very effective. The camera is panning over silent waters, the waves slowly start to increase building the tension. The close shot of the matches breaks this silence and stillness which is really exciting for the viewer.