Textual Analysis

1) It follows some of the conventions of film openings such as having opening credits, music and introduction of important characters. It also follows the convention of the typical length of a film opening which tends to be 2/3 minutes long. It sets the scene in an urban location, it also has established an equilibrium (a group of men walking down the street in a seemingly positive light, the sun and bright colours connote this).

2) The genre of a crime drama is established by the group of men looking like they are in some kind of gang, the suits help us understand their professionalism and it sets out the conventions of something more like an organised crime gang. Most of the men in suits are wearing sunglasses, this makes them look more mysterious and elusive which can fit into their criminal persona, Some of them smoke which can make them seem rebellious.

3) The music (Little Green Bag from the George Baker Selection) is quite an upbeat and happy song. It accompanies the equilibrium well, as they all seem friendly to one another, the music as well as the colours and lighting around them connote some sense of security and friendliness. It goes against the conventions of setting the genre as it isn't denoting or connoting any action or thriller genre through the music, this makes it unconventional.

4)The font used for the credits is fairly basic, they introduce each actor individually as they appear on the screen. The opening scene has gone against the conventions of having the credits in negative space, instead it puts the titles on the characters themselves. The filming sequence then fades away into black with the credits still rolling. This time the text is in the centre of the screen and is now filling the negative space, as it now takes up most of the blank screen.

5)The main characters are introduced all individually as what actor they are played by, the opening credits don't actually introduce them as their character as they play in the film itself. However this could have been done to hide their identity even further, which again fits in with the crime drama convention of the criminals being an enigma.

6) The codes and conventions that we gain from this opening assists in helping us understand the genre of the film as well as the personality and possibly even the motives of the characters. The scene shows us what looks like an equilibrium, the bright colours and sunlight further reinforce that there is currently no threat to these people. There is a group of men walking down the street together in some kind of clique. Their body language and use of props (i.e. the sunglasses, cigarettes and suits) this tells us that they are somewhat rebellious, but at the same time in some kind of professional manner. Most of them have an emotionless face, this can connote that they are hardened criminals that don't fear the repercussions of their actions. This could link to an organised crime and professional criminal operations. This in itself creates an enigma, if it connotes that they are about to commit a crime it can make the audience want to continue watching to see the outcome of the crime and what happens to these group of people. The entire sequence is in slow-motion which draws out a little bit of filming to 2 minutes so it can introduce every character.

7) Mise en scene has been used effectively in this opening scene. We can easily identify what kind of people these people are due to the props that they have (such as the aforementioned props such as the cigarettes, sunglasses etc that all connote that they are rebellious but at the same time professional and fully grown adults). The lighting connotes that they are currently in a friendly environment and perhaps the only hostility in the entire piece is the group of men themselves. The setting is established in an urban location, this information can be gathered through the large road they are walking along as well as the numerous buildings, there are a lot of cars too which also sets the scene in an urban location. The urban location also matches the genre of the film, seeing as they are criminals and could be involved in the robbery of a bank or a place with lots of valuables like a jewellery store.

8) The impact these people have on the audience is to make them feel powerless against them, as each of the characters are introduced, they seem hostile towards the audience and since they are in quite a large gang, it can make the audience feel like they are the ones in control and have the power so the audience feels powerless and make them feel that no one can interfere with what these men are going to do.