Crime film openings ( Group work taken from www.cherwellmediafbirnie.blogspot.com)

Ocean's twelve: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS1MIW7T5no

1) There is a rich and luxurious setting which is established by the location (Rome) and by the decorations of the house such as chandeliers.
2) Brad Pitt's character is shown to be a smart criminal, because of his tactical getaway from his girlfriend who is investigating a crime he did. We also see casual aspects of his personality as he brushes his shoe under the table and pours himself a glass of wine when he gets home.
3) We don't know what crime he did, this enigma code is established by his secrecy and also the fact that his girlfriend doesn't specify what crime it was. Another mystery is where does he escape to. This one is more obviously set up because the scene ends just as he runs away, but we are given scope to imagine the answer because we know he is a criminal and he would make clever decisions because of his resourceful personality.

The Italian Job: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z8aLdIejPs

1) Setting is established with panoramic shots of the mountain range anchored with (diegetic) relaxing music, so the idea the viewer gets is that it takes place in a scenic alpine area, until the explosion when they realise there is an underbelly of crime.
2) Although the character only lives for a few minutes, we get an idea of his life; he is shown as simply driving along the road, but the music and the way he smokes symbolise a laid-back lifestyle and maybe an average one, because these are normal things to do. The sudden way he dies also establishes the character of the other man shown at the end and the ruthless way he carries out his actions.
3) The main enigma codes at this point are: Is there a reason this man was killed? and, Who are the group shown at the end? The lack of dialogue heightens the enigma of these questions, as does the organised set-up at the end of the tunnel. These make us guess that they could be criminals, but the main mystery is why the crash happened, and we have no leverage as such on this subject because so little is given away.

Rear window: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3N-xeqVruM

1) A claustrophobic and detached setting is established by panning shots of the character's street. Several different people's everyday lives are shown which also foreshadows the content of the rest of the movie. The main idea of the opening setting is that the camera looks out on the outside world.
2) All we see of the main character is him asleep in a chair, but we do learn "hints" about his personality through camera shots and mis-en-scene. The way the shot follows the cat and focuses on the woman across the street reflect an obsessive nature and, juxtaposed with the energetic music, suggest that it is a disingenuous perspective.
3) Enigmas are: What is going to happen? We already gather that it is the main character who cannot walk (because of his broken leg) so maybe he takes an active interest in observing what is outside because he can't do much else, so does something awful happen? Probably, because it was suggested with the sinister panning shot but we have no idea what it is going to be.