9 Stunning Opening Movie Scenes That Hooked You Immediately

3. Goodfellas

One of the most memorable films of the 90s and Martin Scorsese's career, Goodfellas brought the gangster film into a new era, leaving behind the romanticism of The Godfather and ushering forward a new form of narrative that engaged people with the little details of mob life, looking as much to inform the audience as to entertain.

Set in 1970s New York, the opening is a repeat of a scene that takes place later on, leaving us wanting to know more about what's to come and why it's happening. As three men (Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro) pull over and open the trunk of the vehicle, a man lies bloody and beaten inside begging for his life. After only seconds, Joe Pesci's Tommy takes out a knife and stabs the man to death. Sat staring down at the corpse, the frame freezes on Henry's face and we hear a line that would become immortalised in film history: 'As far back as I remember I always wanted to be a gangster'.

It's a brutal, unflinching and shocking introduction to the film and its mob life premise. Scorsese wanted to remind us of the gritty details early on, and after being seen, one knows what they are in for.