The Firm – opening sequence analysis

Sam Cooke

The production company; Vertigo films, is shown before the movie starts, the viewers automatically get an idea for the film from this, the signs lighting is bright and neon, this is a connotation to the 1980s, the backing music (tainted love by soft cell) is also a signifier to the 1980s as this song was a hit from this era. This is all in the opening 30 seconds. Everything done in the opening 30 seconds is to remind the viewers of the time period.

The opening shot shows the main character from an over the shoulder shot, the shot is facing a mirror which is useful as it shows the characters facial expressions, the character looks fierce, angry, his haircut is also a common haircut from the 80’s. the shot says ‘London the 80’s’ London was iconic for football violence in the 80’s with teams such as west ham, Millwall, Chelsea, all of these techniques from the film creators add connotations and set the scene for the movie immediately.

A few shots later a mid close up is shown of the same character a few shots before. The outfit the man is wearing gives impressions and has connotations he is a football hooligan, this would fit perfectly for the film as the name ‘the firm’ is relating to a gang of football thugs. During the phone call the main character arranges a fight, this shows the man is violent, aggressive, even temperamental as he wants to fight over football, it shows the man is passionate about the club he supports.