7) The Dark Knight: Bank Robbery
As far as movie openings go, it doesn’t get much better than the bank robbery in The Dark Knight. Jaw-dropping cinematography aside, this superbly written scene kicks things off hard and fast, not letting you breathe for even a second.
As the film opens up, we’re thrown right into the middle of a bank heist, which also doubles as our first, electrifying introduction to the Joker. A crew of thieves wearing clown masks swiftly carry out their heist as planned. Only, not everything is as it seems. Betrayal and double crossing play into the heist and a fantastic William Fichtner (as the bank manager) rages across the room with a booming shotgun. As things escalate, and the money is finally collected, we’re left with only two individuals, one being the Joker.
Soon enough, that problem has been taken care of thanks to the bus driver, whom the Joker promptly executes. Fichtner, lying on the floor injured, gives what seem to be his dying words, telling the masked villain that criminals in Gotham used to believe in honour and respect. “What do you believe in!?” screams Fichtner.
And with that, the Joker walks over, plants a smoke grenade in the injured man’s mouth and utters, “I believe that whatever doesn’t kill you, simply makes you stranger.” He then pulls off his mask, giving us the first look at Heath Ledger’s iconic character. The Joker then boards the bus and drives out of the bank, right past the police.
As mentioned above, this scene is staged and executed to perfection, but it also resonates with us because it introduces us to one of cinema’s greatest villains of all-time, giving us our first look at Heath Ledger’s hugely-anticipated portrayal of The Joker and in the process, opening the movie up with a taut, powerful and thrilling heist scene.