Analysis of a film opening: Harry Brown.

My choice of analysis for neo-noir is Harry Brown, the 2009 action-drama starring Michael Caine, directed by Daniel Barber.

The films opening shows a gang initiation ritual of taking a hit from a light-bulb pipe, surrounded by other members. The sequence is filmed largely by hand-held camera, giving it a personal and up-close feeling. The dark lighting hides a majority of the gangs identities, which I feel adds a sense of foreboding when several members get physical with the initiate during the process. We are told the ritual is being filmed on a phone, as a member presents the new recruit with a handgun, telling him he's a 'member for life'. The scene shows a strange side of street gangs in Britain, portraying them as a sort of family, united together.

The following sequence is filmed on a mobile phone as well, and shows two of the gang riding around a council estate on a motorbike and causing general havoc. The drive up in to a park, where the new recruit opens fire on a mother and infant child hoping to scare them. Again, the hand-held camera adds a dynamic motion to the shot, showing the sheer chaos of the scene itself. However, the amount of movement seems to distance viewers, possibly to prepare them for the accidental murder, when the recruit shoots the mother in the head.

The boys ride away, screaming and attempt to connect on to the road nearby. However, this fails when we suddenly see an oncoming van, smashing the bike over and sending the riders flying. The sequence closes with the phone filming the crash, then fizzling out.

The opening certainly sets the mood for the movie, showing two brief sequences of illegal activity on strangely personal levels for the audience, with a definite unique approach to street gang culture.