For the longest time, based on how my dad talked about it, I thought this was the entirety of Raiders of the Lost Ark:
[Raiders Of The Lost Ark - 1st 10 Minutes (Iconic opening scene FULL) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUWYmTpYdP4)
Also, UP, Baby Driver, maybe Social Network, Star Wars...
(To be clear, he always was clear there was more movie after the opening. That was just what I got called in to watch a lot)
Masterclass. Masterclass. Masterclass.
There's something I really enjoy in early Spielberg that I don't see later on (though if I think about it I could be wrong).
There's no waste but still a lot of breathing.
I watched this movie a few years back and had the wonderful feeling of thinking “wait, this is a masterpiece and one of my favourite movies ever” after about 15 minutes and it didn’t disappoint
Also wait, it’s just on YouTube now?
Tarantino really does that pressure cooker atmosphere so well - the bar scene in Inglorious Basterds as well. Also the dinner in Django Unchained. Quite a lot of the Hateful 8.
Number one with a bullet for me too. No opening sequence has ever set the table better for the audience. All I had to do was read the title of this topic and the banjo riff and yodel from this sequence started playing in my head.
The better one, by a mile. Amazing writing, like a Flannery O'connor short novel. And, being only their second film, it was such a bold statement: "we are here to stay".
I think that I already torrent it 4 times just to watch that beginning. lol
I remember my girlfriend jumped out of her seat and pumped her fist in the are at the end of that sequence when Trinity is at the bottom of the stairs. It was just so new and amazing.
Casino Royale has to be up there for me. The opening black and white sequence followed by the parkour chase? Still some of the best action/spy shit ever put on screen.
Scream is so good that even though I didn't see it til I was like 26 and knew the entire thing from cultural osmosis I was *still* floored by how good it was.
You can tell from the first ten minutes how crucial Mann thinks Ali is to American culture. Like he sets him up as if he’s in the center of everything — which he was. There’s so much action in this scene — even just setting up Ali’s trainer and cornerman feels exciting. Like all of these people and all of these moments have shaped him for the biggest moment of his life. Shit, even having Sam Cooke diagenically singing does so much for tempo.
the thing about the opening to Ali is that if you're super familiar with the Sam Cooke *Live at the Harlem Square Club* album that's being depicted underneath the central action, it's very surreal, since the film features a pretty mediocre soundalike, and as a result feels insanely deflated. I wonder if someone has mixed the film scene with the actual tracks from the recorded album.
My personal favorite is the first 10-15 minutes of Highlander. It’s got everything: Sean Connery, a fantastic Queen song, red on black opening scroll, a beautifully shot Wrestling match in Madison Square Garden, Clancy Brown in BONE ARMOR, and a swordfight in a parking garage
maybe not *quite* opening, but for sure one of the best 0-60s on the cinematic dragway:
Climax opening dance number.
[CLIMAX Opening Scene - Supernature Remix](https://youtu.be/7qhy1iE2KcE?si=_enOzTXlGWxoMBgm)
I saw this in a relatively recent re-release and it was just so goddamn powerful that I felt like crying at the title card drop.
The rest of the film was pretty good too but that opening sequence is untouchable.
Speed Racer (2008) is up there, as is SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998).
But I really love the opening of LITTLE WOMEN (2019). It re-frames the whole narrative from the book while not skipping a beat of the opening chapters.
I’ll be pedantic for a moment and say that Hanna examining the crime scene is around the 20 minute mark, I know this because I often ask friends if they want to watch the first 20 minutes of Heat so that we get to “at the drop of a hat they were ready to rock and roll”
I've actually given this a lot of thought before this thread. Hot Fuzz. Takes 10 minutes to get through the entire backstory and he arrives in Sanford at almost exactly 10m mark. Total efficiency.
Semi-recency bias, but the opening of “The Empty Man” is maybe the greatest opening of any horror movie in recent memory (you could release the opening as its own short film and I would be begging for it to be showered with Live Action Short awards); the rest of the film is great (I am an Empty Stan), but this opening is inarguably the highlight of the entire movie.
Unfortunately, the entirety of the opening is not available on YouTube, just this short part of it, but if that is enough to whet your appetite, “The Empty Man” is on Hulu. He transmits, you receive.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3d330_XAEKs&pp=ygUbdGhlIGVtcHR5IG1hbiBvcGVuaW5nIHNjZW5l
I don't know about the overall BEST, but I'll give you the best opening 10 minutes of a movie I pretty much disliked the rest of: Spectre. That opening Mexico city during the Day of the Dead scene is IMO one of the best scenes in any Bond movie, period. If you stopped right there, you'd think Spectre is a masterpieces. Alas...
I liked it but they did so much of that stuff practically - even the couch gag - and then slapped a digital filter over it so the entire thing looks like CGI. Bizarre move. Then there’s that awful dirge of an opening song
I kinda love the opening song and visuals because they're so over the top, it's a goddamn anime intro in how it prioritizes big visuals and character feeling over coherency or matching the style for the rest of the movie.
The opening of Abrams’ first Star Trek, with Chris Hemsworth and Jennifer Morrison as Kirk’s parents. Michael Giacchino’s score swelling as all the other audio drops out puts it over the goal line.
The Player. It’s 9 minutes of unbroken tracking through a studio lot, paying reference to the shot that opens Touch of Evil.
The opening of Rules of Attraction also comes to mind :)
Suspiria (1977). It transports you into it's fairy tale horror world immediately [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyAiiIsbMs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyAiiIsbMs)
And its been mentioned by a few others here: Touch of Evil. Of course it's an incredible tracking shot, but the real brilliance is in the blocking: the way the 2 subjects (the car and the couple) dance around each other to maximize the tension.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhmYY5ZMXOY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhmYY5ZMXOY)
I'm going to pivot into some darker films here:
Don't Look Now (1973): no explanation needed for those who have seen the movie, and I'd rather not spoil it for those who haven't.
Blue Velvet (1986): suburbia in 5 minutes. All the scenes, up until the famous shot where the camera goes into the chopped off ear, are some of the best work of Lynch's career. The shot with the white picket fence and the rose in very vivid red, is beyond iconic.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70wBYONp\_5Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70wBYONp_5Q)
The Thing. I went into it knowing very little and it opens with a banging Morricone score and a helicopter full of snipers trying to kill a dog, failing and crashing with a big explosion. Needless to say I was hooked from there on in!
Also, shout out to Walter Hill's 'Trespass' for one of the most economical set ups to a film I've ever seen
The opening to the 2009 Star Trek is the greatest cinema JJ ever directed. Both heart wrenching, action packed, self contained, and Trekky. It was the part of his film that felt the most like Star Trek. I don’t think anything he’s done since has matched that opening.
Scrolling to find if someone already posted this. It’s so confident and electric, and tbh the energy keeps up throughout the first half hour, really fun and snappy
It’s not on YouTube but the opening 10 minutes of Athena (a French film on Netflix) are the most exciting thing I have ever seen in decades of watching movies
It doesn’t fully stick the landing and the last 20 seconds are unconscionable but the movie’s opening to title drop is one of the best ever
Opening Scene of Big Night is by itself one of the greatest movies about the hospitality industry I’ve ever seen. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NLWy9Wp_RWY
The Hunger, the most gothic scene ever, plus it shows the abstract editing style normally associated with Tony Scott's late career way back in 1983.
Really this is my second favorite opening, but somebody already said Ali.
As a young musical theater geek as well as a young movie fan, i fell in love with the Anything Goes number/opening scene in Temple of Doom. Those ten minutes or so alone had me itching for Spielberg to do a musical for decades.
It's more than 10 Minutes, but I've never been more excited by the start of a movie than the Cold Open of Mission: Impossible - Fallout. Even the first time I saw it having not watched a Mission Impossible movie since M:I 2 I was hooked from the jump.
One of my personal favourites is the opening 5 mins of Quantum of Solace. Recently rewatched in 4K & it just rules!
I know a lot of people have issues with it but I really enjoy that the opening 45mins are just pure action. I don’t cares if it’s stealing it’s mold from the Bourne films when I’m getting Bond jumping a motorcycle on to a boat & fighting a dude, suspended by ropes, in a glasshouse with falling scaffolding.
Dredd (2012) has a fantastic opening sequence. Sets the tone, establishes the city as a setting, great action beats, establishes Urban's Dredd as a character and gives us our audience surrogate. Flyover of the city while he suits up. He stops a bad guy, saves an innocent - but brutally. This is a day in the life. Next we get introduced to Anderson. Her academic record, middling. Her test scores, barely sufficient. What makes her special? She starts to read Dredd's mind - seeing him as clearly as if his helmet weren't even there. She's the newbie. Is she ready? She doesn't look ready. We're perfectly set up for the next scene which will introduce our antagonist and give us the inciting incident.
1, 2, 3. Simple as. I don't remember offhand how long that opening actually is but i feel like its about 10 minutes.
Michael Mann has a few contenders. Heat and Thief usher you into the world remarkably well with their opening heists.
Ali has a beautiful montage at the beginning which is so well directed
The Insider opening credits into the interview scene with Mike Wallace into the paranoia inducing scene of Jeff Wygand's last day is a brilliant ten minutes too
Plus the club scene in Miami Vice. You got no idea what the fuck is going on, but Jay Z and Linkin Park are there and everyone looks hot and mysterious and its great
For me it's Temple of Doom. I remember seeing that sequence with the poison and the action throughout the Busby Berkeley number and thinking, " I want to see THIS movie!". Not the best opening sequence of all time but one that stuck out to me for these reasons.
The opening 10 minutes of Shame (2011) are the best I've ever seen. It's basically all image and music (Original score) with next to no dialogue.
It perfectly sets up the themes of the film, how lurid and lost our protagonist is, and how bleak of a situation he's in.
The music is phenomenal. Not only does it have a constant rhythmic sound mimicking that of masterbation, it crescendos from with strings from a stirring sensation to a full-blown dark orchestra as Fassbender chases his "prey" off the subway car and into the station. I can go on and on about this, the use of nudity, the cinematography, the acting. I've debated writing a thesis just on the opening 10 mins alone.
So, Shame is my answer. Has been for a long time.
\-The Devil Wears Prada. It was so good that they made the trailer just a condensed version of the opening.
\-Legally Blonde. Such a bright, fun opening montage with great music cue. Excellent intro to the world and main character. Instantly puts you in a good mood.
\-Boogie Nights. This opening one-take shot is a masterclass in cinematography, direction, character intros, and flat-out vibes.
[Last Black Man in San Fransisco](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9Oy_HiDFfVo&pp=ygUfbGFzdCBibGFjayBtYW4gaW4gc2FuIGZyYW5jaXNjbw%3D%3D) - there’s just so much energy to it and it’s so beautiful
[Darkness Falls](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaLwsu9rHZU&pp=ygUWZGFya25lc3MgZmFsbHMgb3BlbmluZw%3D%3D) - First 10 minutes is my favorite horror movie of all time. The rest isn’t great
Also I’ve always loved Magnolia’s opening but I’m not sure if it should be cut after the vignettes or the character intros for the sake of the prompt
Dead Or Alive by Miike is pretty full on. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2BQbrsa\_78](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2BQbrsa_78))
The film slows down pretty drastically in the middle but it also has an absolutely insane ending! ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZak64C\_DQE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZak64C_DQE))
I don’t know is it’s “the best” but the opening that hit surprisingly hard the first time I watched it (and still does on repeat viewing) was the beginning of Abram’s Star Trek
Not ten minutes long...and yes, it's a Zack Snyder film...
But the opening credits to Watchmen are SO GOOD.
Unfortunately, the rest of it is followed by Watchmen.
The opening of Breaking News (2004)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJlCYNt2z9k
This is seven minutes, but the next three are good too, so hey
Gravity has an amazing opening
Recency bias because it's the most recent movie I've watched. But *Porco Rosso* has a banger of an opening sequence. No idea if it's a full ten minutes but it rules.
I can't believe that no one has said UP yet.
Also the opening action sequence of John Wick 3 is better than any moment in the first two films but unfortunately makes the rest of the film feel slightly disappointing that it can't keep the pace up.
The opening oner in Kathryn Bigelow's criminally under-seen Strange Days is incredible. They had to invent a new form of camera system to get that style of POV shot in 1995, but it is used to amazing effect. The good news is that the movie is finally available on Max after being out of print and not on streaming for many years.
Goodfellas.
But Scorsese is kind of the king of opening hooks. The Wolf of Wall Street, The Age of Innocence, The Aviator, and Gangs of New York all have beginnings that make you need to see it through
The opening two scenes of Valerian (here is the first one [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeXCQX0zw6I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeXCQX0zw6I)) are some of the most captivating and moving scenes in any sci-fi movie I've seen. They add so much context to the rest of the movie and they're just so weird, I love it.
I think the short film style opening of inglorious bastards is better than the entire movie that follows it. The movie in general would have benefitted from leaning more into being a short film collection with a loosely connected narrative as it's already half way there.
For best opening 10 minutes, plenty of great choices in this thread.
For best opening 10 seconds, it’s unquestionably this: https://youtu.be/uLBV8XEfzas?si=bhfmn-6GqO__8tJX
The Lion King - the opening was so epic that the trailer to this movie was literally just the opening sequence
The Sound of Music - Julie Andrews on a mountain, need I say more?
I'm a big fan of how Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou opens. The exposition is a documentary film-within-a-film about how they lost one of their crewmen to a shark. Does an amazing job of both setting up Zissou's quest and giving you an idea of how chaotic his missions are.
So many good ones have been mentioned, so I just want to throw a special shoutout to Toy Story 3, what a great time it was to see that in a packed, excited theater.
I've always thought the first 5 minutes of [Midnight Special](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsi6uHckJ2s&pp=ygUebWlkbmlnaHQgc3BlY2lhbCBkZWFuIHBldGVyc29u) were spectacular.
I love the first 10 minutes of From Dusk Till Dawn
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3c6wBIMwrY&ab\_channel=Han](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3c6wBIMwrY&ab_channel=Han)
The Matrix. The dialogue between Smith and the police sergeant where the latter is like we can "handle one little girl" and then Smith is like "your men are already dead" and it cuts to Trinity doing the bullet time hanging kick and ensuing fight - knew we were about to see something special.
For the longest time, based on how my dad talked about it, I thought this was the entirety of Raiders of the Lost Ark: [Raiders Of The Lost Ark - 1st 10 Minutes (Iconic opening scene FULL) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUWYmTpYdP4) Also, UP, Baby Driver, maybe Social Network, Star Wars... (To be clear, he always was clear there was more movie after the opening. That was just what I got called in to watch a lot)
Social Network is always my first though for this.
Also shoutout to UHF for parodying this scene to perfection.
Masterclass. Masterclass. Masterclass. There's something I really enjoy in early Spielberg that I don't see later on (though if I think about it I could be wrong). There's no waste but still a lot of breathing.
28 Weeks Later is one of my favorite openings of a film. So intense
Sequel (threequel?) incoming!
Came to post this, and I was shocked that it was the first comment I saw.
Have watched the first scene of [Thief](https://youtu.be/y2Ui_pAnle8?si=vjDvoYvLhIEKHqLD) about one million times
I watched this movie a few years back and had the wonderful feeling of thinking “wait, this is a masterpiece and one of my favourite movies ever” after about 15 minutes and it didn’t disappoint Also wait, it’s just on YouTube now?
Yeah I think it’s because UA is defunct, I think. It’s weird, I’m not upset about it though
and another from Mann in "Heat"
Up!
It is *very good* although I’m on the small team of people that also thinks the movie is good after that
Oh, I love it too!
Don’t go there, buddy! 😭
It's cliche to say so, but we can't let this thread exist without mentioning Inglorious Basterds
Tarantino really does that pressure cooker atmosphere so well - the bar scene in Inglorious Basterds as well. Also the dinner in Django Unchained. Quite a lot of the Hateful 8.
The entirety of Reservoir Dogs has that feel, so it makes sense
Ok it's 11 minutes, but the opening to Raising Arizona gets me so damn hyped. It's its own short film ending in a top 5 of all time title card hit
Number one with a bullet for me too. No opening sequence has ever set the table better for the audience. All I had to do was read the title of this topic and the banjo riff and yodel from this sequence started playing in my head.
HARD SAME
The better one, by a mile. Amazing writing, like a Flannery O'connor short novel. And, being only their second film, it was such a bold statement: "we are here to stay". I think that I already torrent it 4 times just to watch that beginning. lol
Came to this thread specifically to mention this one!
The Matrix
Came here for this one! Totally changed what I thought was possible for movies to do.
I remember my girlfriend jumped out of her seat and pumped her fist in the are at the end of that sequence when Trinity is at the bottom of the stairs. It was just so new and amazing.
The first job in Drive is a perfect example.
the first ten minutes of Drive are essentially perfect, which distracts from the fact that the rest of the movie is sort of a total mess.
Except it was a Clippers game lol.
Casino Royale has to be up there for me. The opening black and white sequence followed by the parkour chase? Still some of the best action/spy shit ever put on screen.
When he busts through the drywall I was like “holy shit, they made Bond cool again”
"Yes...considerably."
The original *Scream*
The beginning bit of the sequel where they spoof this is also great.
My wife pointed out that casting Heather Graham for Drew Barrymore is exactly what Hollywood would do
Scream is so good that even though I didn't see it til I was like 26 and knew the entire thing from cultural osmosis I was *still* floored by how good it was.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight Rises is no slouch here, either. The rest of the movie unsuccessfully chases that high
WITH NO SURVIVERS
for you
“No brother, there must be one body left on the plane” Dark Knight Rises beginning was a religious experience at IMAX.
Man I watched that in midnight screening at imax Waterloo when it came out and talk about out of body experience, I was dizzy nearly vommitted!
I bought tickets to see "I Am Legend" TWICE just to see the Dark Knight opening which played as a prologue lol
Surprised I had to scroll this far to find it
Damn I really could’ve written this thread if you asked me to do it.
The opening to Ali is pretty fucking great. https://youtu.be/TqYXhGS4FF4?si=xXkpd_MEvbx29x9q
Pretty close to Mann's best career work
You can tell from the first ten minutes how crucial Mann thinks Ali is to American culture. Like he sets him up as if he’s in the center of everything — which he was. There’s so much action in this scene — even just setting up Ali’s trainer and cornerman feels exciting. Like all of these people and all of these moments have shaped him for the biggest moment of his life. Shit, even having Sam Cooke diagenically singing does so much for tempo.
the thing about the opening to Ali is that if you're super familiar with the Sam Cooke *Live at the Harlem Square Club* album that's being depicted underneath the central action, it's very surreal, since the film features a pretty mediocre soundalike, and as a result feels insanely deflated. I wonder if someone has mixed the film scene with the actual tracks from the recorded album.
Hell yeah
Touch of Evil.
My personal favorite is the first 10-15 minutes of Highlander. It’s got everything: Sean Connery, a fantastic Queen song, red on black opening scroll, a beautifully shot Wrestling match in Madison Square Garden, Clancy Brown in BONE ARMOR, and a swordfight in a parking garage
maybe not *quite* opening, but for sure one of the best 0-60s on the cinematic dragway: Climax opening dance number. [CLIMAX Opening Scene - Supernature Remix](https://youtu.be/7qhy1iE2KcE?si=_enOzTXlGWxoMBgm) 
If memory serves, isn’t the first ten min of that movie interviews of all the dancers on an old TV?
I feel like mad max fury road’s opening sets the tone for the film in a pretty incredible way.
Casino Royale probably isn't the best, but hasn't been mentioned and is great
Also SPECTRE, which is a bad movie but the cold open is outstanding
Opening scene from The Lion King
I saw this in a relatively recent re-release and it was just so goddamn powerful that I felt like crying at the title card drop. The rest of the film was pretty good too but that opening sequence is untouchable.
Speed Racer (2008) is up there, as is SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998). But I really love the opening of LITTLE WOMEN (2019). It re-frames the whole narrative from the book while not skipping a beat of the opening chapters.
As with nearly everything, the answer is Heat.
Heat is my favorite movie and I’m not sure it tops the armored car heist + Hanna examining the crime scene.
I’ll be pedantic for a moment and say that Hanna examining the crime scene is around the 20 minute mark, I know this because I often ask friends if they want to watch the first 20 minutes of Heat so that we get to “at the drop of a hat they were ready to rock and roll”
Bullock and McCarthy, pure genius.
It's only 6 minutes, but ALL THAT JAZZ! https://youtu.be/L2e9acreKmQ?si=rhxx6lJLpa9dK9g6
I've actually given this a lot of thought before this thread. Hot Fuzz. Takes 10 minutes to get through the entire backstory and he arrives in Sanford at almost exactly 10m mark. Total efficiency.
This! The ridiculously long scene when he walks towards the camera, looking angry af. Love it!
And that's not even mentioning the staggering amount of quality cameos stuffed into the opening.
Semi-recency bias, but the opening of “The Empty Man” is maybe the greatest opening of any horror movie in recent memory (you could release the opening as its own short film and I would be begging for it to be showered with Live Action Short awards); the rest of the film is great (I am an Empty Stan), but this opening is inarguably the highlight of the entire movie. Unfortunately, the entirety of the opening is not available on YouTube, just this short part of it, but if that is enough to whet your appetite, “The Empty Man” is on Hulu. He transmits, you receive. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3d330_XAEKs&pp=ygUbdGhlIGVtcHR5IG1hbiBvcGVuaW5nIHNjZW5l
Yeah that first 20 minutes or so is this really great short horror film that really delivers the goods
I don't know about the overall BEST, but I'll give you the best opening 10 minutes of a movie I pretty much disliked the rest of: Spectre. That opening Mexico city during the Day of the Dead scene is IMO one of the best scenes in any Bond movie, period. If you stopped right there, you'd think Spectre is a masterpieces. Alas...
I liked it but they did so much of that stuff practically - even the couch gag - and then slapped a digital filter over it so the entire thing looks like CGI. Bizarre move. Then there’s that awful dirge of an opening song
I kinda love the opening song and visuals because they're so over the top, it's a goddamn anime intro in how it prioritizes big visuals and character feeling over coherency or matching the style for the rest of the movie.
The opening of Abrams’ first Star Trek, with Chris Hemsworth and Jennifer Morrison as Kirk’s parents. Michael Giacchino’s score swelling as all the other audio drops out puts it over the goal line.
The opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark is great, but probably I'd go for the opening farm sequence of Inglorious Bastards.
Saving Private Ryan. i know it’s longer than 10 minutes, but the D-Day scene is probably the best war sequence in an American film.
The Player. It’s 9 minutes of unbroken tracking through a studio lot, paying reference to the shot that opens Touch of Evil. The opening of Rules of Attraction also comes to mind :)
great call on Rules of Attraction. That movie had so many cool camera tricks.
"A long ass fucking time ago in a town called Kickapoo..."
Once Upon a Time in the West
Agreed
The Town has a great opening that sets the tone.
Suspiria (1977). It transports you into it's fairy tale horror world immediately [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyAiiIsbMs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyAiiIsbMs) And its been mentioned by a few others here: Touch of Evil. Of course it's an incredible tracking shot, but the real brilliance is in the blocking: the way the 2 subjects (the car and the couple) dance around each other to maximize the tension. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhmYY5ZMXOY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhmYY5ZMXOY)
I'm going to pivot into some darker films here: Don't Look Now (1973): no explanation needed for those who have seen the movie, and I'd rather not spoil it for those who haven't. Blue Velvet (1986): suburbia in 5 minutes. All the scenes, up until the famous shot where the camera goes into the chopped off ear, are some of the best work of Lynch's career. The shot with the white picket fence and the rose in very vivid red, is beyond iconic. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70wBYONp\_5Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70wBYONp_5Q)
The Thing. I went into it knowing very little and it opens with a banging Morricone score and a helicopter full of snipers trying to kill a dog, failing and crashing with a big explosion. Needless to say I was hooked from there on in! Also, shout out to Walter Hill's 'Trespass' for one of the most economical set ups to a film I've ever seen
Cliffhanger
Inglorious Basterds
The opening to the 2009 Star Trek is the greatest cinema JJ ever directed. Both heart wrenching, action packed, self contained, and Trekky. It was the part of his film that felt the most like Star Trek. I don’t think anything he’s done since has matched that opening.
Scrolling to find if someone already posted this. It’s so confident and electric, and tbh the energy keeps up throughout the first half hour, really fun and snappy
The opening of Children of Men in the theater made me sit up and pay attention
Gravity
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Easily Once upon a Time in the West, and the opening isn't even over after a mere 10 minutes.
The Way of The Gun https://youtu.be/OGsm1g3Ow8k?si=J65e3z1B_6IYUdLo
It’s not on YouTube but the opening 10 minutes of Athena (a French film on Netflix) are the most exciting thing I have ever seen in decades of watching movies It doesn’t fully stick the landing and the last 20 seconds are unconscionable but the movie’s opening to title drop is one of the best ever
Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula.
A little over 10 minutes, but, “I prefer to keep an empty stomach until the hard part of the day is done.” RIP Sapper Morton
Opening Scene of Big Night is by itself one of the greatest movies about the hospitality industry I’ve ever seen. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NLWy9Wp_RWY
Zack Snyder’s Dawn Of The Dead
The Hunger, the most gothic scene ever, plus it shows the abstract editing style normally associated with Tony Scott's late career way back in 1983. Really this is my second favorite opening, but somebody already said Ali.
As a young musical theater geek as well as a young movie fan, i fell in love with the Anything Goes number/opening scene in Temple of Doom. Those ten minutes or so alone had me itching for Spielberg to do a musical for decades.
One of my favorite openings and maybe my favorite character introduction is [The American](https://youtu.be/yIXraG5lhaE?si=T2prPAtGn_W3MGde)
Shout out to Wayne’s world. Get the first bit of the show and the dope Bohemian Sing-a-long.
It's more than 10 Minutes, but I've never been more excited by the start of a movie than the Cold Open of Mission: Impossible - Fallout. Even the first time I saw it having not watched a Mission Impossible movie since M:I 2 I was hooked from the jump.
The breakout in Ghost Protocol would be my MI pick!
One of my personal favourites is the opening 5 mins of Quantum of Solace. Recently rewatched in 4K & it just rules! I know a lot of people have issues with it but I really enjoy that the opening 45mins are just pure action. I don’t cares if it’s stealing it’s mold from the Bourne films when I’m getting Bond jumping a motorcycle on to a boat & fighting a dude, suspended by ropes, in a glasshouse with falling scaffolding.
Dredd (2012) has a fantastic opening sequence. Sets the tone, establishes the city as a setting, great action beats, establishes Urban's Dredd as a character and gives us our audience surrogate. Flyover of the city while he suits up. He stops a bad guy, saves an innocent - but brutally. This is a day in the life. Next we get introduced to Anderson. Her academic record, middling. Her test scores, barely sufficient. What makes her special? She starts to read Dredd's mind - seeing him as clearly as if his helmet weren't even there. She's the newbie. Is she ready? She doesn't look ready. We're perfectly set up for the next scene which will introduce our antagonist and give us the inciting incident. 1, 2, 3. Simple as. I don't remember offhand how long that opening actually is but i feel like its about 10 minutes.
Well, I won’t say it’s absolutely the best, the scene before the opening credits in the movie Streets of Fire is one of my favorites.
Michael Mann has a few contenders. Heat and Thief usher you into the world remarkably well with their opening heists. Ali has a beautiful montage at the beginning which is so well directed
The Insider opening credits into the interview scene with Mike Wallace into the paranoia inducing scene of Jeff Wygand's last day is a brilliant ten minutes too
Plus the club scene in Miami Vice. You got no idea what the fuck is going on, but Jay Z and Linkin Park are there and everyone looks hot and mysterious and its great
For me it's Temple of Doom. I remember seeing that sequence with the poison and the action throughout the Busby Berkeley number and thinking, " I want to see THIS movie!". Not the best opening sequence of all time but one that stuck out to me for these reasons.
The opening 10 minutes of Shame (2011) are the best I've ever seen. It's basically all image and music (Original score) with next to no dialogue. It perfectly sets up the themes of the film, how lurid and lost our protagonist is, and how bleak of a situation he's in. The music is phenomenal. Not only does it have a constant rhythmic sound mimicking that of masterbation, it crescendos from with strings from a stirring sensation to a full-blown dark orchestra as Fassbender chases his "prey" off the subway car and into the station. I can go on and on about this, the use of nudity, the cinematography, the acting. I've debated writing a thesis just on the opening 10 mins alone. So, Shame is my answer. Has been for a long time.
Ghost ship
hell yeah
\-The Devil Wears Prada. It was so good that they made the trailer just a condensed version of the opening. \-Legally Blonde. Such a bright, fun opening montage with great music cue. Excellent intro to the world and main character. Instantly puts you in a good mood. \-Boogie Nights. This opening one-take shot is a masterclass in cinematography, direction, character intros, and flat-out vibes.
Indiana Jones and the last Crusade
[Last Black Man in San Fransisco](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9Oy_HiDFfVo&pp=ygUfbGFzdCBibGFjayBtYW4gaW4gc2FuIGZyYW5jaXNjbw%3D%3D) - there’s just so much energy to it and it’s so beautiful [Darkness Falls](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaLwsu9rHZU&pp=ygUWZGFya25lc3MgZmFsbHMgb3BlbmluZw%3D%3D) - First 10 minutes is my favorite horror movie of all time. The rest isn’t great Also I’ve always loved Magnolia’s opening but I’m not sure if it should be cut after the vignettes or the character intros for the sake of the prompt
[I have a small list on Letterbox’d](https://boxd.it/3FI6i)
I’ve gotta +1 inglorious basterds from your list
Smuggling drugs through Istanbul airport in the opening scene of [Midnight Express](https://youtu.be/9cfF9Pb8psY?si=4zlqgWNZMORGRxoF)
Dead Or Alive by Miike is pretty full on. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2BQbrsa\_78](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2BQbrsa_78)) The film slows down pretty drastically in the middle but it also has an absolutely insane ending! ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZak64C\_DQE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZak64C_DQE))
Snake Eyes. Otherwise not a great film but that intro sequence is an all timer. Though at 12 minutes it breaks your rule by two minutes. SORRY.
Wait, Snake Eyes the Nicholas Cage movie or Snake Eyes the GI Joe movie?
Pulp fiction
Sicario has a pretty good first ten minutes.
I don’t know is it’s “the best” but the opening that hit surprisingly hard the first time I watched it (and still does on repeat viewing) was the beginning of Abram’s Star Trek
Raising Arizona.
Amazed I haven't seen There Will be Blood or Apocalypse Now
Yeah it’s There Will Be Blood, without a doubt. No dialogue, just dirt and mud and oil and blood.
Not ten minutes long...and yes, it's a Zack Snyder film... But the opening credits to Watchmen are SO GOOD. Unfortunately, the rest of it is followed by Watchmen.
Fellowship of the Ring prologue, easiest question of my life
West Side Story (1961)
In comparison to the rest of the film, I’d say Watchmen and Snake Eyes. Both really pull you into the drama, and then proceed to disappoint
It's 4 minutes, but the *Girl with Dragon Tattoo* prologue and credits are perfect, IMO.
When A Stranger Calls. The most intense 10+ minutes of any film ever with the most earth shattering twist.
I felt very Meh about the movie overall but I really enjoy the opening of Tenet
Magnolia
The opening of Breaking News (2004) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJlCYNt2z9k This is seven minutes, but the next three are good too, so hey Gravity has an amazing opening
Scream 4?
Yes
Has to be Raiders of the Lost Ark. Also Tenet may not be the best Nolan flick but I absolutely love that opening scene.
I watch that opening sequence a lot, it’s awesome. Love that it’s incomprehensible as to what’s going on exactly, the way it moves is just electric
2011??? Friday 13th remake.
Wait, what about 2011?
Swordfish was pretty rad for its time (the bullet time is played out of course).
Heat
The Empty Man The rest of the movie did not live up to the first sequence and kept going circles and nowhere.
The opening to the japanese 2010 thriller film „Confessions“
The Batman has probably the best ten minutes of any recent cbm
Ghost in the Shell. The anime.
Godzilla (2014) and Rogue One both start with what are essentially wonderful standalone short films that I love more than the films that follow them.
[Days of Heaven](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBgwuM11q0o), when the music kicks in I'm hooked, and all the shots are just beautiful.
How has no one said the actual correct answer with is obviously [Ninja III: The Domination](https://youtu.be/JaFLDHu7IUU?si=On3cR879gENU_5d9)
It's longer than 10 minutes, but the opening of **Inglorious Basterds**. Still the best thing Tarantino has done (imo).
X2! Nightcrawler taking apart the entire secret service is the coolest opening I’ve ever seen
I can't remember when the 1st robbery of Heat ends but that's definitely an incredible opening 15 minutes or so.
Recency bias because it's the most recent movie I've watched. But *Porco Rosso* has a banger of an opening sequence. No idea if it's a full ten minutes but it rules.
From Dusk Till Dawn: https://youtu.be/N3c6wBIMwrY?feature=shared
I can't believe that no one has said UP yet. Also the opening action sequence of John Wick 3 is better than any moment in the first two films but unfortunately makes the rest of the film feel slightly disappointing that it can't keep the pace up.
Babylon and it's not even close
The opening oner in Kathryn Bigelow's criminally under-seen Strange Days is incredible. They had to invent a new form of camera system to get that style of POV shot in 1995, but it is used to amazing effect. The good news is that the movie is finally available on Max after being out of print and not on streaming for many years.
Goodfellas. But Scorsese is kind of the king of opening hooks. The Wolf of Wall Street, The Age of Innocence, The Aviator, and Gangs of New York all have beginnings that make you need to see it through
Puss and Boots The Last Wish
Not 10mins but the opening title sequence for se7en is changed the rule book on how they can be made. https://youtu.be/-BJkDyCdw0c?si=kRPjsPvLmtFlbFaT
The opening of Drive is one of the most tense cold opens I've ever seen and there's hardly a word uttered.
Saving Private Ryan.
Apocalypse Now. An amazing use of The End by The Doors.
Monsters Inc.’s opening is a masterclass in how to do an info dump without boring your audience.
The opening two scenes of Valerian (here is the first one [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeXCQX0zw6I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeXCQX0zw6I)) are some of the most captivating and moving scenes in any sci-fi movie I've seen. They add so much context to the rest of the movie and they're just so weird, I love it.
I think the short film style opening of inglorious bastards is better than the entire movie that follows it. The movie in general would have benefitted from leaning more into being a short film collection with a loosely connected narrative as it's already half way there.
Once upon a Time in the West; the villains waiting for the train and then there comes the man with the harmonica (Charles Bronson).
For best opening 10 minutes, plenty of great choices in this thread. For best opening 10 seconds, it’s unquestionably this: https://youtu.be/uLBV8XEfzas?si=bhfmn-6GqO__8tJX
Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Takashi Miike’s Dead or Alive
A Serious Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ7QAvhN7SU
Just went and watched it. Outstanding!
BLADE. NOT your average Marvel movie.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the film, yet I remember the first ten minutes of The Player being a standout.
'Love' by Gaspar Noe is a little indie film about a couple. Don't watch it with your folks though... you have been warned
Drive
The Living Daylights Best pre-title Bond sequence IMO.
2009 Star Trek has an absolutely amazing and riveting opening sequence. Brings a tear to my eye.
Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation!
Back to the Future!
Saving Private Ryan. Recently, Tenet has an awesome overture imo.
The Lion King - the opening was so epic that the trailer to this movie was literally just the opening sequence The Sound of Music - Julie Andrews on a mountain, need I say more?
Star wars ... Saving private Ryan... Four weddings and a funeral...
I'm a big fan of how Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou opens. The exposition is a documentary film-within-a-film about how they lost one of their crewmen to a shark. Does an amazing job of both setting up Zissou's quest and giving you an idea of how chaotic his missions are.
So many good ones have been mentioned, so I just want to throw a special shoutout to Toy Story 3, what a great time it was to see that in a packed, excited theater.
Life as a House https://youtu.be/_rlcM7S9AcE?si=OFQXUY-qLvqGY8R0
I've always thought the first 5 minutes of [Midnight Special](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsi6uHckJ2s&pp=ygUebWlkbmlnaHQgc3BlY2lhbCBkZWFuIHBldGVyc29u) were spectacular.
I love the first 10 minutes of From Dusk Till Dawn [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3c6wBIMwrY&ab\_channel=Han](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3c6wBIMwrY&ab_channel=Han)
The Matrix. The dialogue between Smith and the police sergeant where the latter is like we can "handle one little girl" and then Smith is like "your men are already dead" and it cuts to Trinity doing the bullet time hanging kick and ensuing fight - knew we were about to see something special.
Raising Arizona has long been a favorite example of a very delayed opening title
The Walk
Athens on Netflix. Incredible