Best opening sequence of the year

Rating: 10/10 (20 August 2006)

Aspiring screenwriters should scrutinize the first 30 minutes of this film, a perfect Hollywood Act 1 if there ever was one. Everything important about the characters and the coming action is set up here. Note the discussion between Annie and Max re Darrow and contrast it with Max and Cruise's discussion of Darwin. Max criticizes Cruise for killing strangers, but Cruise shuts him up by pointing out Rwanda and Max's lack of indignancy over those deaths. Cruise rails against LA and prophesies his own death on the MTA by recounting the person who died on the train and looped around the route 6 times before anyone recognized the guy was dead. Cruise easily defeats Max's pompousness and fake superiority by seducing him with money, quickly bringing the man down to his level. When that body falls on his cab, the music changes, the roles are clarified, and we are into Act 2.
This is such a perfect Hollywoood formula and crafted with the finesse of a real pro. Everything about the coming story is in those first 30 minutes--genius.