10 Opening Credit Sequences That Were Better Than The Films That Followed

5. Hostage (2005)

The Opening Credit Sequence: Monochrome buildings, armed guards, police cars, a blood-red sky... it's all a bit Frank Miller, isn't it? And with Bruce Willis in the lead role, maybe we haven't seen the end of Sin City's Marv after all. As the credits for the cast and crew are written in bold across gun barrels and factory walls, we're gearing ourselves up for another noir knockabout. The camera climbs the rooftops, peers through the barbed wire perimeter and slides along a sniper rifle like the perfect assassin. Even the music, composed by the impossibly cool-sounding Alexandre Desplat, seems too good. Are you sure you haven't switched to a video game instead? The Film: Willis plays a former SWAT officer turned hostage negotiator, giving him the perfect excuse to phone in a performance. And if you're Kevin Pollak, well, Bruce is just the man to call when three boys have broken into your luxurious and hitherto impenetrable home, pistol-whipped you in front of your screaming kids and- yup- held you hostage. But our hero's having a bad day: can he put aside his past (previous 'jobs' still linger in his mind) and family issues (distant daughter, unhappy marriage) to help save the lives of a stranger? What do you think? He's John McClane. Or rather, you wish he still were.