12 Greatest Opening Scenes In War Movie History

World War II is a popular subject when it comes to film history. However, Enemy at the Gates is a rare example of a Western film not about the US or British soldiers. Following the invasion of the Soviet city of Stalingrad by German forces, this movie tells the story of a pair of dueling snipers. The opening sequence follows Jude Law's Vasily, who finds himself amongst the first wave of Russian soldiers defending the city. The action-filled scene of carnage and loss offers a Russian perspective on the incredible sacrifices made during the Second World War. Glory is one of many films about the American Civil War, but one of the few to show the perspective of those men impacted by the fight for freedom, telling the story of a unit of freedmen and their white commander and their war on southern slavers. Matthew Broderick plays real-life historical figure Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who we are told at the start is the son of an abolitionist and a prolific letter writer. We then get a sample of Shaw's real-life correspondence before kicking off the violent Battle of Antietam. It's bloodier than Civil War battles have ever been before in cinema. Glory is a rousing story of sacrifice and the opening sets the right tone. The tale of two young men who are tasked with an impossible mission to deliver a warning to Allied forces across enemy lines. The recent film 1917's opening is far subtler and dialogue heavy than most of the other ones on this list. Done as one long shot, we follow Blake and Schofield, two soldiers on their way to meet their commanding officer to receive their life-changing orders. The conversation is mostly casual as the camera tracks them through the battle lines loaded with historical detail. It's also loaded with foreshadowing and hidden meaning that you would only notice on a rewatch. From the trenches to boot camp at the height of Vietnam, Full Metal Jacket is the infamous Stanley Kubrick war film. It's a movie where the first 45 minutes are so good that the rest of the film is kind of irrelevant. What makes the first act so great is the one-of-a-kind performance from real-life drill instructor R. Lee Ermey as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. After a quick montage of haircutting, we are introduced to Hartman with one of film's single most profanity-laden monologues, famously improvised by Ermey, who was initially only the movie's technical advisor. I can't even show most of what he says as he lays into each new recruit, demeaning and berating them with an endless mix of slurs and personal insults about their mothers. Not only did it set the stage for every film drill instructor ever, it also kicked off Ermey's long and amazing film career. No film has done more for video games than Steven Spielberg's World War 2 epic Saving Private Ryan, at least judging by how many times the famous D-Day sequence has been recreated in first-person shooters. The opening starts out somber enough, with an as-of- yet unidentified old man visiting a graveyard. The scene then flashes back to the invasion of the beaches of Normandy. What follows is one of the most gut-wrenching, violent, horrific, and devastating sequences in film history. Captain Miller, played by Tom Hanks, fights for every inch as he desperately tries to survive the meat grinder he's found himself in. The scene was so brutal and realistic that it single-handedly changed how war is depicted, and showed the true nature of the sacrifices made that day. From Spielberg to Nolan, Dunkirk is the director's heart-pounding tale of suspense and hope, telling the true story of British forces trapped on the French beach as they wait for either rescue or death. The opening of the film sets this up perfectly with a simple four-line scroll and the imagery of propaganda leaflets falling from the sky. Filmed on location in the actual French town, we watch as the troops wander the streets until they are suddenly attacked and shot one by one, until only Tommy, played by Harry Styles, remains. We then watch as he escapes the attack, only to end up on a beach with thousands of his own men. All Quiet on the Western Front is one of the first anti-war stories ever written, and certainly one of the most profound. Based on the nearly 100-year-old novel, this is the story of a young German soldier caught in the middle of the Great War. A dark and nihilistic tale, the movie accurately depicts the horrors of trench warfare, and it does not wait to do so. After focusing on a den of foxes, we cut to a grim tableau of dead men lying on a gray battlefield. It's quiet at first, but a few bullets lead to a few more, and suddenly we are in the middle of a violent battle. The scene is also amazing for showing just how close the main character is to death at all times. It's a stark opening for a haunting depiction of war and its cost. Leave it to Mel Gibson to make one of the goriest and insanely violent stories about pacifism ever made. Hacksaw Ridge is the true story of Quaker Desmond Doss, who is the only conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor. His religious beliefs prevented him from taking another life, but he enlisted all the same and ended up saving 75 men single-handedly. The film's opening gives us a taste of the violence to come with a slow-motion montage of the death and destruction Doss would live through. Inglourious Bastards is the auteur filmmaker's single war film thus far. This alternate history tale follows the titular group of soldiers as they sabotage and kill Nazi leadership behind enemy lines. However, the film's opening features none of the titular bastards, but rather introduces us to two of the movie's most important characters, Shoshanna and Hans Landa. Landa is hunting down Jews who are in hiding, and his search has led him to a small French farm. He makes himself at home and slowly and methodically intimidates the farmer until he is forced to reveal the family hiding under the floorboards. It's a masterclass intention and is the scene that gave German actor Christoph Waltz his second career in Hollywood. The 2005 film Lord of War has an opening credit sequence so good, it's basically its own perfect short film. The anti-gun movie opens with Cage delivering a direct-to-camera breakdown of just how many guns are in circulation today. After that, the movie shows us the amazing montage titled The Life of a Bullet. The scene follows a single high-caliber round as it's manufactured in a Soviet factory. The camera tracks its POV as it moves from one location to another before eventually reaching its horrible destination. The point of the sequence is to not only show the chain of distribution from building to use, it also shows that every bullet made can be destined for something horrible, and thousands are made every hour. The three-hour-plus Apocalypse Now is perhaps the densest and most profound war film ever made. Set in the dark days of Vietnam, the film is about Captain Willard, a deeply troubled and emotionally numb man who is tasked with finding and dispatching a rogue officer. The movie's opening is iconic in imagery, music, and tone. Set to The End by The Doors, we are shown a montage of fire and death over the exhausted Willard as he drinks alone in his hotel room. After the song, we get Martin Sheen's tired and nihilistic voiceover as he binge drinks away the horrors he's seen. The narration and quiet contemplation leads to another song and a bloody mirror punching by an actually blackout drunk Martin Sheen. And yes, he did actually cut his hand. Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down is a powerful movie for a lot of reasons. It's a detailed look at the realities of modern combat. The movie opens with a relevant Plato quote and some historical context on the forced famine being inflicted on the Somali people by a local warlord. It's stark and haunting and gives the movie a documentary-like feel that helps ground what follows. Immediately afterwards, we see the U.S. forces unable to help refugees being attacked because of the intricate combat rules that govern their actions, leaving main character Staff Sergeant Matt Eversman frustrated and enraged. The opening sets the stage for a movie that would change how relentless combat is portrayed and shows the cost of an action, which is a theme that runs throughout the entire film.