Openings of Thrillers

The Hunt For The Red October

Is a 1990 thriller film based on the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. It was directed by John McTiernan and stars Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius and Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan. 

The Hunt For The Red October opening scene starts with an establishing shot from Polijarny Inlet near Murmans, of snowy ice mountains and a dark blue sea.
There are light clouds near the top of the mountains and the sky looks dull but you can see that it is a very freezing place to be in.
There is then an extreme close up shot of an old mans eyes showing that the person is long term and with experience.
The camera eases out to an officers face then he speaks Russian to another officer out of focus in the background, they are talking about the weather so the camera switches back and forth to the landscape and them.
A horn blows and the camera pans round showing two boats in the sea then pulls away showing the two officers talking are on a submarine.
Whilst this is happening typical sea music is playing like they are on an adventure, then the music changes to classical/operatic sounding with singing above it, sounding like communist Russian type music.
After this the screen falls black and red writing of the title comes on the screen like the colour of Communism.





Identity

Identity is a 2003 American thriller film, directed by James Mangold and written by Michael Cooney. The film stars John Cusack, Ray Liotta, John C. McGinley and Amanda Peet. The plot was inspired by Agatha Christie's novel And Then There Were None.

The opening to Identity starts with a blank screen and a narrative voice talking.
The camera does a close up of a cassette recording with session : 6/8, patient : Malcolm Rivers writton on it telling you this is a recording of an ill quite possibly mentaly.
There is eerie music being played through out in the background showing that the recording is with someone who hasnt got a good nature.
Thunder is added to give a more eerie feeling.
A hand reaches over and fast forwards the tape where there is a rapid cut of images and pictures.
Then you see close up drawn  pictures of stick men with blood coming out of them and other similar drawings.
There are close ups of profiles being read from the patients mother, background as a child, different prisons as this is happening the camera is switching between mans face and profiles and cordinated voice with the images.
There are various close ups of violent pictures of murdered victims which the patient commited but does not remember so there is a another rapid cut of voilent imagery.
Finally there is news paper cut outs of head lines about a psychiatrist testifying for insanity plea for defence and ends with a close up of mans readings face.