10 Most Controversial Opening Movie Scenes

8. Saving Private Ryan

Even though it's considered one of the best cinematic openings of all time now, it shouldn't be understated just how close to the bone the Omaha beach scene in Saving Private Ryan cut at the time. One extended D-Day attack, it's difficult to tell where the opening even begins and ends, with a full twenty minutes passing before viewers are able to get their bearings.

That 20-minute period, though, is one of the most brutal depictions of war in the history of the medium. Using then-unprecedented techniques to make the footage closer to a documentary rather than a Hollywood blockbuster, the sequence was intense not only because of the unflinching depiction of wartime slaughter, but because of how that slaughter was presented.

Spielberg didn't sanitise anything, and although many filmmakers have aped the style since, none have quite been able to capture the pure relentless energy of Saving Private Ryan's opening journey through hell.

Advertisement
In this post: 
Antichrist
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.