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?
