10 Best Opening Credits Sequences In Movie History
9. Lord Of War
The Andrew Niccol-directed Lord Of War isn't a very good movie - it tries to do way too much and ultimately ends up buckling at the knee - but its opening credits sequence would indicate otherwise.
Starting with Nicholas Cage delivering a monologue on the amount of firearms in worldwide circulation before following a bullet from production, to quality control, delivery and right into the forehead of an unfortunate African child, it perfectly displayed the brand of dark humour that Lord Of War desperately strove to hit, but never could.
In fact, the opening credits would probably have worked better as a standalone short rather than a segment of a feature-film, because they accomplished more in four minutes than Lord Of War did in 123. It was genuinely intriguing to watch that bullet go from factory to warzone and be shown the ease of which they can be obtained by pretty much anyone, whereas the rest of the movie became bogged down in boring politics and Nicholas Cage... being Nicholas Cage.
This sequence works so well, in part, due its brevity, condensing a much lengthier process down into a couple of minutes in order to heighten its satirical effect. The choice of music - Buffalo Springfield's catchy pop-tune 'For What It's Worth' - is finely juxtaposed against shots of arms dealing, violence and death, resulting in a scene that capably tops the movie that followed.