FILM STUDIES
CONTENT
The first thing I want to do is compare how different crime movies set up their situations and just what sort of world those characters live in. Compared to action crime films, Goodfellas, Se7en, and The Wire all pay even more attention to character and setting rather than action. Scene after scene proves this is so. Each film's opening scene can be seen as establishing 'crime' itself as part of the daily round rather than one big event.
Goodfellas (1990)
Right at the beginning, Goodfellas shows a brutal scene inside the trunk of a car. Then, Henry Hill looks into the camera and says this is the tale of his time as a gangster - that contrast hits hard. The moment is sharp with violence, yet his calm way of looking back shows such cruelty was just part of daily life. From there, the mood is set: this isn't about judging right or wrong, it's about seeing a world from someone living it.
Se7en (1995)
The opening scene of Se7en is certainly one of the most well-known, and possibly one of the most ingenious. Instead of starting with the killer's crimes, the camera lingers on how he prepares everything. Extreme close-ups show his handwriting, the way he builds tools, the handling of twisted photos. Paired with choppy editing and a deeply unsettling score, a heavy sense of madness and fear takes hold. No story gets explained during the credits - the whole point is just to make you feel on edge.
The Wire - Pilot (2002)
The opening of The Wire avoids dramatization by beginning with a simple conversation about a murder. We see a conversation between two men on a street corner. They are discussing a murder, and they are discussing it calmly. The camera is static, the editing is simple, and the conversation feels completely natural. The tone here is of normalcy. Crime is something to be discussed on street corners, in everyday conversations. It is a show about the social structures that allow crime to happen. The opening reflects this.
OPENING
Each of these openings prioritizes on different things to establish a tone and different element of storytelling. Goodfellas used narration to control how violence is perceived, making it feel more natural than disturbing. Se7en removes narrative clarity to make the viewer uncomfortable, the production relies on tone and editing instead of an explanation. The Wire uses realism and restraint, allowing the viewer to observe rather than react.
TAKEAWAYS
I've found a lot of inspiration by these productions not just for my project but for the amazing story, these openings show that you don't have to be action oriented to have a good crime movie or show, by focusing on tone, environment, character development and tone, each film establishes its own narrative approach early on.
Movieposters.com. . (2026). Goodfellas [Movie poster].
IMDb. (n.d.). Se7en. In IMDb. Retrieved January 29, 2026
Posters USA. (2017). The Wire TV series show poster (GLOSSY FINISH – TVS415) [Product listing]
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