Analysis of "Brick" 2005's opening:

Brick is a 2005 neo-noir, with the story of a pulp-fiction detective story set in a suburban California.

The initial thing to hit us is the lighting of the scene, showing stark contrasts with extremely bright highlights. We see the main character, Brendan, squatting outside the mouth of a storm tunnel, looking at the body of his ex-girlfriend. The acting of Joseph Gordon-Levitt must be mentioned, as he sets the tone of the character almost instantly, showing Brendan examining her body almost objectively, close-up shots identifying what may be clues or important notes. This sets Brendan up as the reserved, gritty detective character common in the pulp-fiction detective narrative. The music is notably chilling, consisting of brief and high-pitched notes that discern the scene as crucial to the plot. There is a flashback to her near a locker, wearing matching bracelets with the girl lying in the water, confirming her identity to Brendan, before sharply cutting to the title-card, a simplistic black and white slide with the title 'BRICK' printed centre screen.

The simplicity of the sequence is excellently used, defining a major crime as nothing but a part of a much larger puzzle, preparing the audience for the entirety of what is to come.