The Dark Knight Opening Analysis

The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero/thriller film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan, based on the DC Comics character Batman. 

0.00-0.46: The opening where the film companies are shown, is in a very dark blue colour which could suggest that the film is going to be quite sinister and also contain a lot of violence. Furthermore there is very little sound at the start which could make the audience tense and anxious.

0.54-1.20: From this point in the film, we see an establishing shot of a city, unknown to the viewers yet. The camera then zooms into one particular building. They then see that one of the many windows in the building gets smashed through to which two men wearing clown masks, are standing with some sort of rappel gun. This part of the film is already getting the audience guessing on why they are wearing those hideous masks and also what they are planning to do.

1.21-1.35: The next part uses a medium shot to reveal another man carrying a large bag and also a clown mask which suggests that he is associated with the characters in the first scene. We also see a closeup shot of the clown mask which implies that it plays an important part in the opening of the movie.

1.37-1.54: It now becomes apparent that the rappel line is for the two masked men to slide down and land on the adjacent building. An aerial shot is used to show the men going between buildings and this is effective as you can see the huge drop beneath them if they go wrong. In addition dramatic music is used to create suspense and excitement for the viewers.

1.55-2.10: In the next scene we have a closeup of the occupants in the car and they are having a conversation about money. Seeing as they have weapons on them it could be suggesting that they are going to be conducting a robbery or something alike. 

2.12-2.43: It is revealed in the next scene that they are going to be robbing a bank. We see the criminals being ruthless and violent towards individuals present in the bank. The camera pans right to follow the men moving through the bank. Diegetic sound is used in this part as the sounds of gunshots can be heard.

2.43-2.53: The scene then cuts to the two men on the top of the building and we see them sabotaging a box that appears to be an alarm. Next the man behind shoots the first man in the back which could mean that he is a traitor to his team. An unconventional over the shoulder shot is used as the subject is facing the over way but it is effective as you can see everything the man behind is doing.

3.28-3.57: Next we see a man who appears to be some sort of manager, retaliate to the intruders by attacking them with a shotgun. During this the music is quite fast and makes the viewers tense and on edge and we can see the man walking towards the camera making him seem threatening and imposing. 

3.59-4.05: We then see the defiant manager be shot by one of the intruders. We get a closeup of the mans face to show the horror and fright of the mask that he is wearing.

4.23-4.35: The man previously on the rooftop then makes he way down to ground level and breaks into the safe after shooting another one of his team, reinforcing the fact of him being a traitor. He starts to fill the bags up with the huge supply of money and then leaves. The music in this part is fast paced and exciting, hinting that something else is going to happen later on.

4.38-4.56: The opening ends with the last two men dragging a handful of bags filled with money out to the main hall of the bank. The traitor puts his gun up to the last remaining member of the team. However he doesn't get shot because a bus drives in through the door and this could possibly be their escape vehicle.