Opening Sequence Analysis – Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

The scene commences with a character promoting stolen goods in a market-style situation. Immediately we witness a stereotypical British hard chap with a cockney accent. The stereotype is imperative as the target audience gets a foretaste of what type of characters to expect throughout the film. We also see a technique being used in Levi-Strauss with ‘Binary Opposition’, as this not-so good character is trying to illegally sell to innocent people (Good vs. Bad). We are instantly introduced to the main character and we only see one prop in this frame (which is the table in front of him). The editors have intentionally avoided the use of an establishment shot here of just any market, simply because he shouldn’t be there and the audience are aware of this with the Cultivation Theory. Furthermore, we grab an insight of the personality of the main character here, which could expose to the audience about the type of characters in which to expect throughout the film. An example is his very desiccated and crude sense of humour. He tells the crowd around him: “I took a bag home last night, it cost a lot more than ten pound I’ll tell ya”. Even though this is a technique in order to try and sell the illegal goods, it reflects on his personality as being confident, yet crude.

At approximately 57 seconds into the film, one of the civilians who purchases a stolen good notices the police in sight. This is extremely similar to my work as the police catches my focal character for another illegal act. Within this frame, the theory of ‘Todorov’s Equilibrium’ is touched on as there is a disruption in the form of a threat to an ordinary-looking situation (the police chasing the promoters which continues to the subsequent frame). This may represent the ‘rise and fall’ structure

early on in the film which several Gangster-orientated films require in order to build up suspense for the audience. As soon as the man on the look-out states that he’s seen the police, there are shots which show the main character literally stuffing his products into his suitcase and this shows that he has no customer respect. This, and the addition of the location which leads onto the next frame reflect the gangsters’ lives; in everyday streets to murky alleyways. This is almost a premonition into the rest of the film.

The scene then proceeds to the coppers chasing the men through the urban streets and an abandoned warehouse. The urban areas are very common in Gangster films, alongside clubs and bars (which come later on) but already we receive a glimpse of one of the main conventions which construct the genre perfectly. Moreover, the soundtrack which is being played in the background is fast-paced, which is synchronised with the men and their running technique. The tempo also represents adrenaline, as the characters begin to panic for their lives. This is very effectual as the suspense is subliminally building up bit by bit. Due to the rapid pace of this frame, the audience are hardly given any time to absorb the mise-en-scene. Visually, the characters are not dirty but well-groomed and tidy-looking men. This is significant because the scene reflects their mental attributes as well as their physical appearance. The sinister and spine-chilling nature of this scene reflects on their personas; they have been shown to commit illegal offences, and due to this, are almost certainly not very pleasant people.

At just over 2 minutes into the film, the scene just cuts directly into the main title frame with no intricate transitions. This connotes that Gangsters do not play around, and the colour use of black

and white (Binary Opposites) represents how Gangsters are the total reverse to normal people and that they stand out, just like the title. The opening scene as a whole is linear, and is delimited with the use of darker colours and lighting – which portrays that more bad is bound to come. After these shots, we are told the title of the film, ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’. The font used to represent this is given as if it was typed out on a broken type writer, and this may show possibly the element of old age of the film and also, the corruptibility of the life of a gangster seeing as the type-writer (an essential back then) is wrecked.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o1UXSxTjfo