# Most Suspenseful Opening Scenes in Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954 "2020-07-21T21:42:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/21 "2020-07-26T17:49:32Z")
Top Gun. Love the music (Jenny Loggins’ Danger Zone) when the first F-14 takes off from the aircraft carrier, and the flight deck scenes of prepping before, and action after. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bNxvXj9nff4/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHUBoAC4AOKAgwIABABGHIgYSg5MA8=&rs=AOn4CLDwTit8pJBbdfXkDxbKR3EDjJK8QQ "TOP GUN Opening (Danger Zone)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNxvXj9nff4) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/22 "2020-08-03T18:54:01Z")
**DesertRoomie** loves _Top Gun_ so we have the disk. I tease her by saying, “Okay, the good part’s over. We can shut it off, now,” after the titles have run. “No-o-o-o-o! Not 'til the volleyball game!” ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/23 "2020-08-03T23:50:32Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/S__L_OQe6NE/hqdefault.jpg "Bullitt - Opening Credits") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S__L_OQe6NE) Bullit opening scene ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/24 "2020-08-06T00:02:29Z")
The beginning of _A History of Violence_, with Viggo taking out the robbers, was pretty good. Martin Sheen getting increasingly unhinged in his hotel room at the beginning of _Apocalypse Now_ got me thinking - ok, where’s _this_ going next? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/25 "2020-08-07T03:25:54Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Bullit opening scene This seemed enigmatic, but not particularly suspenseful? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/26 "2020-08-07T03:29:57Z")
Guy trying to escape men trying to kill him, smoke grenade, thinks hes escaped only to find a thug waiting for him, then almost killed driving through alley. It seemed suspenseful and mysterious to me. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/27 "2020-08-07T03:32:27Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Top Gun. Love the music (Jenny Loggins’ Danger Zone) when the first F-14 takes off from the aircraft carrier, and the flight deck scenes of prepping before, and action after. …more to to the point, how on earth is _this_ suspenseful? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/28 "2020-08-07T13:02:50Z")
**Delicatessen** - We follow the sounds of a butcher sharpening his knives all the way up the building to a man attempting to escape from said butcher. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/29 "2020-08-07T14:40:50Z")
Mission Impossible 2 - Intro - Rock Climbing Scene. Just no. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/30 "2020-08-08T02:02:03Z")
Damn - that’s what I originally came here to mention. Thanks for reminding me, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/31 "2020-08-08T03:10:16Z")
I was going to say Raider of the Lost Ark. Also Vertigo. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/N7sznnL0NZ0/hqdefault.jpg "Vertigo Opening Scene - Rooftop Chase") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7sznnL0NZ0) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/32 "2020-08-08T12:33:44Z")
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: things are pretty quiet when Redford is winning at cards, but then go from ‘quiet’ to ‘too quiet’ when a guy who’s lost a little too much money and has a gun at the ready keeps talking in an even tone of voice as the chat moves from ‘conversational’ to ‘accusatory’; at which point Newman tries to defuse the situation, and when he fails it gets even _quieter_… ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/33 "2020-08-08T12:48:00Z")
…the opening for “When a Stranger Calls.” Full opening below, warning its long (16 minutes total spread over two youtube links) and full of spoilers. But gosh its suspenseful. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RrtDLbbUDKE/hqdefault.jpg "When a Stranger Calls - Opening") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrtDLbbUDKE) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/5d-_Z75Do7c/hqdefault.jpg "When a Stranger Calls - Opening (Part 2)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d-_Z75Do7c) And I just watched the end again, and I’m in the dark, and there was a noise in the other room, and I’ve just turned on all my lights and closed the door 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/34 "2020-08-08T14:18:17Z")
Nothing beats this opening scene for heart-stopping suspense. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/AzZSiXwNZYc/maxresdefault.jpg "Airplane! (1980) [Opening Scene]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzZSiXwNZYc) ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954/35 "2020-08-08T23:46:45Z")
That’s as different kind of suspense, altogether. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-suspenseful-opening-scenes-in-movies/915954.md?page=1)