10 Best Opening Scenes In Martin Scorsese Films

10. Arriving At The Island - Shutter Island (2010)

Following the commercial and critical success of Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake of the thriller Cape Fear, the director would eventually revisit the genre with the critically acclaimed Shutter Island.

Starring frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio as the troubled “U.S. Marshal” Teddy Daniels, the psychological thriller is a clever and distorted analysis of the damage that a traumatic experience can have on the human mind.

In the film’s opening sequence, Scorsese attempts to trick the audience into thinking that Teddy and his new partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) are visiting the institution to investigate the whereabouts of a missing patient.

Struggling with the grief of losing his wife, Teddy appears to be disorientated, a characteristic that persisted for the entirely of the film. Building suspense and delusion, Scorsese sets the tone for the entire film and even drops subtle hints that everything is not what it seems.

For instance, upon reaching the asylum’s entrance, Chuck struggles to disarm his firearm, a detail that can easily be discarded when watching the movie for the first time.

The arrival at the island is a perfectly crafted opening sequence by Scorsese, who successfully is able to create an atmosphere of illusion and uncertainty without spoiling the big twist.