NWI Awards: Best Opening

Capturing the audiences attention instantly is often vital for the success of a movie. If we're not hooked then we're half-assed about the film and often deride it. Here's the movies from 2008 that certainly didnt make this mistake...




Best Opening




6) Wall E - Abandoned Earth

Its a shame the rest of this film didn't match to its beginning, because this was some secretly eerie stuff. The cold landscape of an abandoned earth covered in waste is a stark and memorable one.




5) Blindness - Epidemic

The opening of this film shows its central epidemic of blindness spreading from the blindnesses point of view. A simple concept but it works as we pass from victim to victim.




4) The Dark Knight - Joker Heist

In a scene quite reminiscent of tight crime films from the 70's and even Michael Mann's Heat, we see The Joker execute a devilish plan to rob a mob bank. Its mean, its ingenious and he kills the Bus Driver.




3) No Country for Old Men - ' Be there in about 15 minutes'

In what is at heart a thriller, it begins with quiet eloquent scene, In which Tommy Lee Jones tells of the world's increasing monstrousness over shots of beautiful Texan landscape. Very effective.




2) Waltz with Bashir - Crazy Dogs

In what we later learn was a dream, we see a pack of bloodthirsty dogs speeding through unknown streets, violently approaching their destination. For such a stark image, its amazing it manages to be so poignant.




1) There will be Blood - Break a leg

With no dialogue for nigh on the first half hour, we see the then in poverty Plainview digging for Ore in a mine, even after having his leg broken in an accident. For this man greed is more important then anything, even hs own pain.