The Usual Suspects- Opening scene analyis

The establishing shot is an extreme close up of a pack of matches been struck alight, this use of shot shows the importance of the matches and the fire. The fire already foreshadows danger this then makes the audience question what is about to happen. From this shot alone, I can tell that fire is going to be a crucial and vital element and stimulus in this opening scene as the matches are only jut being lit suggesting that the fire hasn't  happened yet but it's about to, very soon. This then helps to create suspense through the enigma of the situation.

In The Usual Suspects, Mise-en-scene is employed very effectively in terms of establishing characters motives and helping the audience understand  what's going on through the iconography. When the audience first sees Sgt Rubin’s office it is cluttered and messy, this then gives them an idea of his personality and a sense of what he's really like, disorganised, stressed.

The use of a long shot to help show the audience what is happening and the contents of the film, is pretty effective as it helps to enhance the film. During this opening sequence, the audience see all the elements in the office as more than simple props and set pieces, but elements that are key to understanding the story and realizing what really happened in the narrative. The director has cleverly chosen to use the mise-en-scene alone to tell the films story without relying on any dialogue from the characters, this deems to be really effective and powerful.

Status has been shown through the characters wealth as their the ones with the power, wealth is made clear by the gold watches and gold lighter.

During one of the final scenes where Kujan realises who Verbal really was, everything is put into utter silence with just a classical, ominous tone building in the background and a combined set of phrases that Verbal had mentioned throughout his story mixed together with the on screen equivalents of where this information was derived from is a really powerful scene in the narrative. The absence of sound is used when the cup shatters with only the background instrumental reaching its peak and the name being repeated over and over again by Verbal’s monologue, this was really effective as it really helped to draw in the audience as they had to rely on the visuals rather than the dialogue and sound.

Sound is crucial in the revelation of the characters status, this is shown through the change of sound after a character is mentioned. For example, every time Keyser Soze's name is mentioned, there is always a buildup of background noise, and music, which is then followed by a very brief silence which gives the character to react. This is seen in the first hospital scene when one of the characters first hears someone say Keyser's name. This engages the audience by keeping them interested in the mystery, as it adds intrigue to Keyser's character as the want to know what he's done.

The use of diegetic sounds like the water running and the fire help to set the scene as it makes the place seem even more gritty, dark and dangerous like a hidden basement. This then suggests to the audience that whatever happens down there is not going to be above board or completely, if at all, legal, thus making them even more intrigued to know what's going to happen.

The opening scene, is renown for its use of revelation shots, this is made clear through the editing and the camerawork as the audience are constantly following the action e.g. when one of the characters light up the fire the audience then follows the trail in to it goes to a halt and we get a revelation shot of one of the heroes of the movie as he is seen to be putting out the fire with his urine, however his face still isn't revealed, this creates a sense of mystery and ambiguity as the hero usually always wants to be seen saving the day but this "hero" does it secretly to begin with.
However, from this mans position and his actions (urinating from the balcony) suggest he is the villain, this is then heightened though the fact that he has been silhouetted and we cannot make out any of his features, thus making the audience assume he is the villain until we realise that his actions were helping to put out the fire and not cause a nuisance.

 









We are introduced to a character with a mid-shot on a burning ship with several dead men around. Immediately, the contrast between the extreme close up and mid-shot disrupts the narrative flow, making it deliberately uncomfortable for the audience. 





The director and editor creates an enigma through the various different cuts- long shots and extreme long shots of the boat and what surrounds it. Furthermore, even though  we don't see the murder of the dead man, the audience are able to assume and have their own idea and perception of what happened. This then gives the audience a sense of involvement, in the movie, this is used in many thriller films. The sound is an essential feature that contributes to the ever increasing sense of tension. Through the music's increase in pitch the audience are made to feel a sense of anxiety and fear as they are metaphorically dangling at a top of a cliff wanting to find out what happens, which is created by the sense of expectation as they are constantly made to feel like something bad or heroic is about to happen. Throughout the sequence the music emphasises the tense, dramatic atmosphere illustrated in this sequence.

 This shot of the explosion is intriguing as it makes the audience question whether or not people got out or not, who was affected and where this took place?