# Great Films that contain their best scene in the first ten minutes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [January 14, 2021, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551 "2021-01-14T21:17:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/21 "2021-01-15T00:48:32Z")
That’s the one you study in film school. (Over and over and over again. And don’t ask me how many times I’ve seen Psycho or Persona) ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/22 "2021-01-15T00:49:50Z")
I was sure Reservoir Dogs would be the first response to the OP. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/23 "2021-01-15T01:02:13Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Is Omar Sharif’s introduction in the first 10 minutes of **Lawrence of Arabia**? There are many wonderful scenes in that movie, but that approach is my personal favorite. It’s been some time since I last saw it, but the first scene is Lawrence’s motorbike accident. I think the next one takes place at the British headquarter in Cairo(?). The mirage scene introducing Omar Sharif comes later, after a bit of Lawrence traveling with a guide to the meeting place. But I concur, it’s one of the most beautiful scenes in movie history. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/24 "2021-01-15T01:02:44Z")
For all that the overall movie is not well loved (I don’t mind it) I’ve always liked the first ten minutes of the 1970 movie of Catch-22. There are three things. Well, kinda four. The scene of the B-25’s taking off is so realistic and visceral that it gives me goosebumps (and it should when you hear of the effort that went into making it). My tip is listen to it up loud with good speakers. And as they leave it invokes that feeling you get when others are leaving on a great adventure and you are left behind and aren’t quite sure if that’s good or bad. The scene with the Doc and Yossarian that explains the basic premise is terrific both in terms of choreography and dialogue. And there’s another scene which I’m not even going to describe lest I spoil anything but is both temporally disjointed and mysterious, which is perfectly in tune with the book. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/25 "2021-01-15T01:03:36Z")
I don’t know if I’d say beautiful, but I’d certainly say spectacular and quietly shocking. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/26 "2021-01-15T01:05:39Z")
Ok, with beautiful I meant the picture of Omar Sharif slowly approaching and arising out of the mirage. What follows at the well really is shocking. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/27 "2021-01-15T01:47:31Z")
Opening gunfight in Silverado. Great stuff, topped by the scenic vista opening out below. Beautiful! ---
**Author:** ![CoconutPete](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coconutpete/32/5294_2.png) [@CoconutPete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoconutPete)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/28 "2021-01-15T01:55:40Z")
Baby Driver The whole movie is good, but the opening scene is freaking awesome. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7ARFyrM6gVs/maxresdefault.jpg "Baby Driver Opening Scene (2017) | Movieclips Coming Soon") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ARFyrM6gVs) ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/29 "2021-01-15T02:13:45Z")
I love that movie and agree that opening scene rocks. I understand the film won an Academy Award for sound editing. Well deserved. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/30 "2021-01-15T02:15:13Z")
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/31 "2021-01-15T02:23:31Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, a better love story in ten minutes without words, than the entire five film Twilight franchise. Testify! What I love best about that sequence is the way they show you well-designed snippets of story and YOU (and I and the audience) have to construct the story ourselves. And it’s a different story to each individual watching. Brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/32 "2021-01-15T02:24:40Z")
Yes this. Stayed with me the rest of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/33 "2021-01-15T09:24:35Z")
It’s more than 10 minutes, but the opening of _Star Trek_ (09) is not only the best part of the movie, it’s the best filmmaking of JJ Abrams’s whole career. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/34 "2021-01-15T09:39:50Z")
Heaven’s Gate. Yes, Heaven’s Gate. That opening scene is a horrid wasteland of despair, and then scene by scene it manages to get progressively worse. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/35 "2021-01-15T10:46:20Z")
Evita (1996) The first 6 minutes has it all, including “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina”, and Antonio Banderas is exceptional. > **[Madonna - Evita - Oh! What a Circus (1996) - Dailymotion Video](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzoi3o)** > > Madonna - Evita - Oh! What a Circus (1996) izleyin - Orhan Momti Dailymotion'da ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/36 "2021-01-15T11:18:30Z")
Others may dispute the ‘greatness’ of **Dirty Harry** (personally I can stomach the dubious politics for the sake of sheer style) but the first ten minutes are perhaps the coolest, especially with the theme tune coming in. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/37 "2021-01-15T12:45:04Z")
Drive’s opener is as good as Baby Drivers, and did it before Baby Driver. However, I can’t remember much about Drive after that point, so fit’s the original criteria. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/38 "2021-01-15T12:47:27Z")
Leon: The professional has one of the best show of hitman skill in any movie at the start. I’d not put it in this list, because there’s great scenes all through the movie, including opening the door to Matilda, Gary Oldman being crazy, “Kind of Italian Looking” and the police bringing in the metal plate with the gun behind it having cornered him… ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/39 "2021-01-15T14:43:17Z")
I would say the [opening of Contact](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWwhQB3TKXA). The giant pull back from earth farther and farther through the universe, until we emerge from young Ellie’s eye. I like the movie, but that scene really blew me away the first time. The rest of the movie struggles to live up to it. … yes yes the time frame was all wrong. The radio shouldn’t fade away until like 70 light years. Still… ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/40 "2021-01-15T16:40:25Z")
I see no one has brought up the opening scene of [**The Wild Bunch**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Bunch). “If they move, kill 'em” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551.md?page=3)