A Good Day To Die Hard analysis

A Good Day to Die Hard

Before the picture comes on, there is a black screen with the noises of screaming, bombs and gun shots going off which brings an element of danger. As the picture appears, the opening scene of the film immediately shows crime and mystery, two common themes of the thriller genre. The setting is of a man in a solitary confinement prison cell (the element of crime) and a man who walks in with a suit on to come and talk to him about something not completely known yet (the mystery element) and they’re talking in Russian to each other. The lighting and costumes the characters are wearing are both very dark and add to the suspense and mystery of the scene. The scene then cuts to a crane shot of the CIA headquarters and then a woman inside talking about the men who have just been seen. The view of the whole building suggests this situation is obviously quite widespread and dangerous as although it’s happening in Russia, the CIA in America is involved.

The pace then quickly picks up and the music starts getting quicker creating suspense and action. The shot cuts to someone on a motorbike speeding down roads and over a bridge into a car park whilst a man walks into a kitchen of a club and as he’s walking through, a tracking shot is uses to show him picking up a gun. This shows there is definitely an element of crime and action suggesting this film may be an action thriller – uses physical actions to create suspense. The costumes the man in the club and the women on the motorbike are wearing are also both black which is usually an implication of crime and action.

The tension then gradually builds up as the man with the gun walks into the club area and the music keeps on increasing in pace to create tension. The music fades out slightly as the man is seen confronting an older man in a bar who looks worried as the man with the gun talks to him. The man then shoots the other and you see him being pushed over as the scene ends. This quick movement suggests the film is going to be quite fast paced and will be based solving a crime but the majority will be action and thrill.