20 Opening Movie Scenes That Are Totally Flawless

Boogie Nights is set in the 1970s, and tells the story of the porn industry from the perspective of future star Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) with vibrant style, boundless energy, and extravagant set pieces.

It's little wonder, then, that director Paul Thomas Anderson opens the film with a stunning long-take through the titular nightclub, in a sequence which never breaks focus as it introduces several of the film's primary players and captures the joy and exuberant style of the 70s music scene.

Despite only being Anderson's second film, following the also-great Hard Eight, Boogie Nights gets started on an impressive, enthralling high, and then doubles down on it for the rest of the film, which only gets better and more compelling as Adams' tragic, horrifying rise-and-fall tale spirals out of control.

Watching Boogie Nights' opening shot is like stepping into a time portal that takes you back to the centre of the 70s nightclub scene, and the results are to die for.