Research Into an Action Opening Scene

I have researched the opening scene from the film Watchmen, by Zack Snyder and made by Warner Bros. It came out in 2009 and is a drama film which includes the cast of Malin Akerman, Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley.

This opening scene begins with the soundtrack of Unforgettable by Nat King Cole playing whilst we see a man smoking a cigar watching tv. The camera then cuts to a slow zoom on the door of his flat telling the audience the location whilst also creating suspense. The audience then sees a quick shot which has the right side of the mans face in the foreground and the background we can see a shadow standing at the door building the tension even more. The door gets violently kicked down portraying the action genre of the film and we see a man dressed in all black whose identity is hidden conveying an element of mystery and suspense. This man

whose costume is all black, we can assume is the villain due to his hidden identity and colours connoting death used which is a common convention of an action film. When the man dressed in all black clenches his fist, it hints that something violent is going to happen such as a fight or even a death. The pov shot of the pistol shown on the table also conveys this action genre and how something dramatic is about to happen. The slow-motion shots used in this fight scene which sets the audience up for what to expect for the rest of the film are common conventions of an action film to make it more effective and interesting to watch. When the man is covered in his blood, he says the line, "Mother, forgive me", which makes the audience question what has he done for this man dressed in black to murder him during this fight and who is this man who has intruded into his house to then kill him which sets up the mystery that the plot is based around in this opening scene. 

We are then presented with a montage displaying the credits which address many different themes such as political progression, sexuality and time which perhaps are common ideas portrayed throughout the film. It sets the mood for the rest of the film whilst portraying an element of mystery making the audience want to know more.

I believe this is an effective opening scene as it sets the location and introduces us to two characters during this opening fight scene. This fight scene immediately engages the audience and conveys the action genre whilst portraying a villain who we can assume is going to be an important character in the rest of the film. The montage following the fight scene hints at the storyline whilst presenting a range of different ideas which perhaps are going to become more apparent throughout the film. It sets up a suspenseful mysterious element to the film which leaves the audience with questions wanting to know more such as ‘Why has this man just been murdered by the man dressed in all black whose identity is hidden?’ and ‘Why is his identity hidden?’.