10 Greatest Opening Lines In Movie History

Has an opening line ever set the tone for a film more perfectly?

The Prestige is conceivably Christopher Nolan's finest offering to date - high praise indeed when one considers that Inception, Memento and The Dark Knight trilogy are but a few of the names amongst the director's illustrious credits. Featuring powerhouse performances from two of the greatest character actors of their generation in Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, Nolan's 2006 psychological thriller is masterfully complemented by an enthralling sci-fi element.

While many themes play a key role in The Prestige, perhaps the most prevalent of all is that of deception. As such, the unexplained and open ended nature of the mysterious soundbite, set against an unexplained backdrop of a sea of black top hats in a forest, left first time viewers completely riveted by proceedings. It speaks volumes to the intriguing nature of a movie's subject matter when the audience is hooked in the first ten seconds, and The Prestige is as fine as an example of this fact as one is likely to find.

The whispered tones of Bale's unseen Borden quite literally makes the hair on the back's of viewers necks stand up on end, expertly foreshadowing the levels of awe and disbelief amongst the audience for when the film's thunderous climax and jaw dropping final twist unfolds.