Film opening evaluations from films in the same genre

The Silence of the lambs is ones of the most popular and dramatic films ever let alone just in this genre. It is directed by Jonathan Demme, he has also worked on the set of The Truth about Charlie, Storefront Hitchcock and Jimmy Carter Man of Plains. The films itself is about a young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.
The opening of the film is set in numerous locations with an FBI agent being set a task to find a killer. During the opening of the film there is a voice over kind of like a narrator explaining what the task ahead of the agent is, the voice over used is also soft yet slightly croaky this is also making the opening sequence gripping and wanting the you to see more. There is also dramatic music this is adding to the tension of the opening sequence. Also the lighting is adding to the tension as you don’t see day light all you see is the inside of the physiological hospital and the agent travelling to around to different locations in a car at night there is also a number of shots with hand held camera views. In doing this it adds to the anxiety of what the film ahead will lead on to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbcJM3WrElU&feature=related



The second film opening I watched was that of American Psycho. This film was based on the story of Valerie Solanas.
The plot of the film is where a wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies.
The opening of the film is all set within the home of banker(psycho). It is actually quite strange as he is going through his mornings routine, you can tell he is a perfectionist as he goes through a number of things for example work outs and then puts on a number of facial cleansers. But there is one part in the opening of the film where he talks about himself it is ‘I have all the characteristics of a human being, flesh, blood, skin, hair. But not a single clear identifiable emotion except from greed and disgust.’ I feel from this he is telling you he is normal expect from the end of the quote except from greed and disgust it tells us he feels normal apart from having greed and disgust this meaning he could be greedy over others and therefore taking life and disgust in the way he kills.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-yoMEZXnbQ





The third film I analysed was the films Straw Dogs (1971). The plot of the film is where a Dustin Hoffman who plays a regular American mathematician, who gets into some trouble with local bullies. He is made fun of and then his wife is raped. When they attack his home, he fights back. His outbreak of violence is extreme.
The opening of this film is set in a rural English country side . the opening doesn’t not tell you that there will be anything violent to occur to the film. But there is one thing that could lead to some sort of violence and that is David (the mathematician) buys an ex poacher trap, but apart from this the opening does not seem to lead to any violence. The only sound in the opening scene is that of birds singing. From the opening of this film I cannot see how it could lead to violence, and this is why I would want to carry on viewing the film so I could see how it all spans out to a thriller.
http://www.megavideo.com/?v=JB6SS6P3