10 Most Controversial Opening Movie Scenes

3. Natural Born Killers

Natural Born Killers created a frenzy of controversy when it released back in 1994, and even from the opening scene, it's easy to see why. Cranking the ultra-violence up to 11, the psychedelic, fever-dream opening is like the MPAA's worst nightmare brought to life, exploding into a barrage of graphic killings almost immediately.

Not only was the violence itself extreme for the time (with over four minutes of footage needing to be cut to secure an R-rating), but the way it's shot is so disorientating and anarchic to the point of making the audience feel sick, even without the gore.

Watching it now, the violence in the introduction is so over the top and so strangely stylised that it can be hard to take seriously, but at the time, nobody had really seen anything quite like it in a mainstream movie. Becoming an instant cultural talking point, Natural Born Killers went on to be slammed for allegedly inspiring copycat murders across the world, ensuring the film's ban in a wealth of overseas countries.