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Some movies grab you from the very first second, and others make history with just one unforgettable line. Join us as we celebrate the most iconic movie openers ever delivered, from chilling one-liners to instantly quotable introductions that set the tone for everything that follows. Which opening line hooked you right away?
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00:00But, uh, until that day, accept this justice as a gift on my daughter's wedding day.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 best opening lines in movies.
00:14Because I am hard, you will not like me, but the more you hate me, the more you will learn.
00:20For this list, we're looking at the greatest and most legendary first words in movie history.
00:25As we recall the great openers to these movies, there may be some spoilers.
00:30Which of these do you think is the best? Let us know in the comments below.
00:35Number 20. A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
00:40Star Wars Episode 4, A New Hope.
00:42There's just no beating the opening sequence of the original Star Wars.
00:46A simple and iconic sentence appears on screen that sets up the time and place of the story.
00:52Following that, viewers are treated to the opening notes of John Williams' iconic score,
00:57while the title flashes across the screen and shrinks into the opening crawl.
01:19Instant chills.
01:20While not spoken by a character, the opening text nevertheless remains one of the most classic lines in movie history.
01:27Never before or since has an expositional bit of text been so mysterious and so captivating.
01:34It instantly hooks viewers into the story and immediately gets the imagination flowing,
01:39which is obviously necessary for the otherworldly events to follow.
01:43This is how you start a movie.
01:45Number 19. I Don't Want to Be a Product of My Environment.
01:56Martin Scorsese has a penchant for opening his movies with killer lines.
02:01His opening words for The Departed continue this strong trend thanks to a killer performance from Jack Nicholson.
02:07He plays gangster Frank Costello and starts the film by speaking about his influence in the Irish mob of South
02:13Boston.
02:14The opening summarizes Frank's entire character in a few short but effective words,
02:19portraying him as both a powerful man and enormously influential within his neighborhood.
02:24No one gives it to you. You have to take it.
02:28When Nicholson's growly and intimidating affectation is combined with effective writing,
02:33you get a very tantalizing way to introduce a mob boss.
02:36Number 18. Between the Time When the Oceans Drank Atlantis.
02:41Conan the Barbarian.
02:42Between the Time When the Oceans Drank Atlantis and the Rise of the Sons of Arius,
02:51there was an age undreamed of.
02:54And on to this, Conan,
02:57destined to bear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow.
03:04Fantasy and science fiction movies really know how to attract an audience's attention.
03:08Arnold Schwarzenegger's star-making turn as Conan the Barbarian begins with interesting allusions to fictional history.
03:16Atlantis is the allegorical island famously mentioned by Plato.
03:20And the Sons of Arius is a group made specifically for Conan.
03:24These references help establish the movie's fantastical setting and tone,
03:28while getting viewers ready for all the imaginative events to follow.
03:39Not only do the lines sound captivating,
03:42they also depict the movie as a piece of folklore,
03:45almost as if it came from a society's ancient mythology.
03:48This is high fantasy at its most whimsical.
04:10It's fitting that an offbeat romantic movie opens in such a downbeat way.
04:15Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind chronicles the ups and downs of a relationship
04:20and the literal erasure of good memories.
04:23Please let me keep this memory.
04:25Just disappoint.
04:26While it can be a little morose,
04:28this film also offers brilliant commentary on the cyclical nature of troubled romantic relationships.
04:34And what better way to introduce protagonist Joel
04:38than by depicting him as a downbeat cynic?
04:40It's clear he hates the concept of Valentine's Day because it makes him feel incredibly lonely.
04:46The dialogue is aided by Jim Carrey's sullen line delivery,
04:49the quiet piano notes, and pale color palette.
04:52This great marriage between writing and filmmaking
04:55perfectly captures a character and a world devoid of life.
05:00Number 16.
05:01Yes, this is Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.
05:05Sunset Boulevard.
05:06Yes, this is Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.
05:10It's about 5 o'clock in the morning.
05:14That's the Homicide Squad, complete with detectives and newspapermen.
05:18This opening line is one of the greatest tone and theme setters in movie history.
05:23Sunset Boulevard has a near-mythical quality to it.
05:27It is a historic street that runs through Beverly Hills and Hollywood
05:30with lots of money and has held an intrinsic connection to the movie industry.
05:35This sense of glamour was even more apparent in the 40s and 50s
05:38when Hollywood was experiencing a golden age.
05:41Only asking, I didn't know you were planning a comeback.
05:44I hate that word!
05:45It's a return!
05:46A return to the millions of people who've never forgiven me for deserting the screen.
05:51And yet here it is, with police responding to a violent crime that occurred in a mansion.
05:55It immediately subverts the elegant allure of Sunset Boulevard and the surrounding area,
06:01depicting it with a seedy underbelly.
06:03It's a fantastic way to open a film noir that aims to undermine the seductive appeal of Hollywood.
06:08Number 15. The World is Changed
06:12The Lord of the Rings
06:13The Fellowship of the Ring
06:15The world is changed.
06:18I feel it in the water.
06:22I feel it in the earth.
06:24Screenwriters Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson
06:27accomplished an incredible and challenging task when they adapted The Lord of the Rings.
06:31They took various lines from Tolkien's novels, including this opening statement,
06:36and changed who said them and at what time.
06:38You are Isildur's heir, not Isildur himself.
06:43You are not bound to his fate.
06:46This particular opening line can be found in The Return of the King,
06:49and is spoken by Treebeard while he's saying his farewells to Galadriel.
06:54For the movie, the three writers gave the line to Galadriel herself,
06:58and placed it at the beginning of Fellowship.
07:00This switch highly paid off.
07:02The opening piece of dialogue serves as a fantastic tone setter
07:06that immediately establishes the growing threat of Sauron
07:09and the changes that Middle-earth is experiencing.
07:12Number 14, Do You Find Me Sadistic?
07:15Kill Bill Vol. 1
07:17Do you find me sadistic?
07:26You know, I'll bet I could fry an egg on your head right now, if I want to do.
07:35Quentin Tarantino quickly earned a reputation as a rather violent filmmaker,
07:39and his movies have garnered large amounts of controversy for their content.
07:43Kill Bill's focus on over-the-top samurai action that hearkened back to exploitative grindhouse cinema
07:49looked to be the most brutal one yet.
07:51So, what better way to open this movie than by addressing the violent content outright?
07:57This line not only serves as a horrifying introduction to Bill,
08:01it also acts as a meta line of sorts,
08:04almost as if Tarantino himself is asking the audience if they find him and his films sadistic.
08:09And by addressing the violent content outright,
08:12it allows viewers to prepare for the brutal events and images that will follow.
08:25Number 13, I Remember Those Cheers?
08:28Raging Bull.
08:42Martin Scorsese loves to subvert typical genre movies.
08:46With Raging Bull, he targeted the inspirational sports film.
08:50Rather than depicting a likable underdog,
08:53Raging Bull follows the violent and unappealing Jake LaMotta.
08:56He's a towering figure who constantly sabotages his personal relationships.
09:01How could you ask me a question like that?
09:02How could you ask me? I'm your brother.
09:05You ask me that?
09:07Where do you get your balls big enough to ask me that?
09:10The opening depicts Jake washed up, aging, and his boxing career long over.
09:15He's now a stand-up comedian that practices a comedy routine that opens with,
09:20I remember those cheers.
09:21While he uses the lines within a bit,
09:24it's obvious that he misses the celebrity and sense of accomplishment
09:27that came with his boxing success.
09:30Raging Bull is ultimately a personal tragedy.
09:32And there's no better way to open a tragedy
09:35than by having its protagonist lament on good times gone by.
09:40Number 12, Who Are You?
09:42The Seventh Seal.
09:44After some opening narration,
09:46Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal begins with Death
09:49approaching a medieval knight named Antonius Black.
09:51To audiences, Death appears quite scary,
09:55silently standing on the beach with a creepy pale countenance.
09:58But the knight seems rather unfazed.
10:01When questioned, the mysterious man frankly responds,
10:04I am Death.
10:05Yeah, you didn't.
10:06It's a simple yet incredibly effective way to open a movie.
10:09The blunt answer from Death depicts it as a fearless encounter.
10:14In a time full of plague and turbulence,
10:16people simply came to expect this dark concept.
10:19It's no surprise that Antonius barely reacts to the revelation.
10:22Death is a universal struggle that everyone must cope with.
10:26We can only hope to accept it as well as Antonius did.
10:30Number 11, Now, I Want You to Remember.
10:33Patton.
10:33I want you to remember
10:36that no bastard ever won war
10:41by dying for his country.
10:46You want it?
10:48By making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.
10:53Often regarded as one of the best war films ever made,
10:56Patton begins in magnificent fashion.
10:58General Patton appears in front of a massive American flag
11:01as images of his numerous medals flash across the screen.
11:05And he's accompanied by celebratory fanfare.
11:19He then launches into a rather blunt tirade
11:22about what he thinks about soldiers.
11:24His words are a very unique observation about the nature of war
11:27that actually came from the real General Patton himself.
11:31The real figure said these lines during his iconic speech
11:34to the 6th Armored Division on May 31st, 1944.
11:38It took one of the world's greatest motivational speeches
11:41to result in one of the greatest opening lines in movie history.
11:44Number 10, There's 100,000 Streets in the City.
11:48Drive.
11:51There's 100,000 streets in the city.
11:54Known only as the driver,
11:56our nameless protagonist's entire identity revolves around automobiles.
12:00You give me a time and a place,
12:03I give you a five-minute window.
12:05He works as a getaway driver,
12:07but will only offer his services for exactly five minutes.
12:11After that, you're on your own.
12:12Anything happens in that five minutes,
12:14and I'm yours.
12:16No matter what.
12:18Anything happens a minute either side of that,
12:21and you're on your own.
12:23Do you understand?
12:25Five minutes might not sound like much,
12:28and not every getaway goes off without a hitch.
12:30However,
12:31the driver knows the streets of this city like the back of his hand,
12:34and he knows how to make himself disappear even better.
12:43Reminiscent of a film noir anti-hero,
12:45the driver's opening lines say so much about his emotionally detached character,
12:49while also saying so little,
12:51which is only appropriate for a man of few words.
12:55And you won't be able to reach me on this phone again.
13:03Number 9,
13:04People are always asking if I know Tyler Durden.
13:06Fight Club.
13:07People are always asking me if I know Tyler Durden.
13:11So, you know that spoiler warning we talked about earlier?
13:14That was primarily for anyone that still hasn't seen Fight Club.
13:17With a gun barrel between your teeth,
13:20you speak only in vowels.
13:21This masterpiece from David Fincher is notorious
13:24for having one of the greatest movie twists ever,
13:27revealing that Edward Norton's narrator is also Tyler Durden.
13:31I'm not Tyler Durden!
13:33You told us you'd say that too.
13:37What's so ironic about this twist is that the narrator basically gives it away with his very first line.
13:44Throughout the entire movie, however,
13:45the audience is completely oblivious.
13:51It isn't until you watch Fight Club a second time that you catch this ingenious foreshadowing,
13:57which makes you appreciate the film even more.
13:59We have front row seats for this theater of mass destruction.
14:11Mark Rentboy Renton has built his life around the illegal substances he relies so heavily on.
14:17However, the movie opens with him finally ready to choose another path in life away from his vices.
14:23As Renton states in the poetic opening of Trainspotting,
14:26there are so many things one can choose.
14:29A job, a career, a family.
14:32The list goes on and on.
14:34Above all else, Renton encourages his audience to choose life.
14:38I'm looking forward to it already.
14:40I'm going to be just like you.
14:43But we learn it won't be an easy journey for him.
14:46Although life offers many wonderful things to Renton,
14:49it's hard for him to overcome his past demons.
14:53Number 7.
14:54We Were Somewhere Around Barstow
14:55Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
14:58We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert,
15:01when the drugs began to take hold.
15:05Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas plays like one big acid trip.
15:09I remember saying something like,
15:11I feel a bit lightheaded.
15:13Hey, you should drive.
15:14It's only appropriate that Raoul Duke's story begins
15:17just as his substances begin to take hold.
15:19Suddenly, there was a terrible roar all around us.
15:22And the sky was full of what looked like huge bats,
15:25all swooping and screeching and diving around the car.
15:28From the second our main characters reach the edge of the desert,
15:32the film takes a nosedive into madness and never lets up.
15:3630 minutes.
15:37It was going to be very close.
15:40In addition to perfectly setting the stage,
15:43this opening also captures the essence of our narrator.
15:46Duke is constantly making observations
15:49and talking as if he's typing a novel in his head.
15:52There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved
15:56than a man in the depths of an ether binge.
15:59And I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff pretty soon.
16:02Of course, most of his rants are completely ludicrous
16:05and could only come from a totally whacked-out mind.
16:08Our energy would simply prevail.
16:11We had all the momentum.
16:14We were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave.
16:18I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior drill instructor.
16:26Few directors know how to open a movie better than Stanley Kubrick.
16:30Alex's first monologue from A Clockwork Orange continues to give us chills to this day.
16:36However, we've decided to single out Gunnery Sergeant Hartman's
16:39exhilarating introductory speech from Full Metal Jacket.
16:43Here you are all equally worthless.
16:45And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers
16:48who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved corps.
16:52This film immediately throws the audience into basic military training,
16:55which can feel just as hellish as actual combat
16:58when you have a ruthless drill sergeant barking orders.
17:01You are the lowest form of life on Earth.
17:04Hartman is an unrelenting force that never stops insulting his cadets.
17:09How tall are you, private?
17:10Sir, 5'9", sir!
17:125'9", I didn't know they stacked shit that high!
17:14From the second he opens his mouth,
17:17it's clear he'll eventually push one of these young maggots over the edge.
17:20Sir, no sir!
17:22Then wipe that disgusting grin off your face!
17:24Sir, yes, sir!
17:255. What came first, the music or the misery?
17:29High Fidelity.
17:32What came first, the music or the misery?
17:36Although pop music is often viewed as peppy and fun,
17:38a majority of the genre songs are surprisingly about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss.
17:45People worry about kids playing with guns or watching violent videos.
17:49Some sort of culture of violence will take them over.
17:52Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs
17:56about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss.
18:01So, why do we keep listening to them?
18:03Is pop music the root of all our misery?
18:06Or do we listen to pop music because we're miserable?
18:09These are the questions Rob Gordon mauls over at the beginning of High Fidelity.
18:13You don't have to go the second.
18:16You can stay until whenever.
18:18No.
18:19With a love life that plays like a broken record,
18:22Rob contemplates if sad music can be even more harmful than toy guns and violent movies.
18:28In any case, Rob could definitely use a sunnier mixtape.
18:32Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable?
18:35Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?
18:39No.
18:394. I was 12 going on 13.
18:42Stand By Me.
18:43I was 12 going on 13 the first time I saw a dead human being.
18:47Stand By Me is all about the life-changing moment that kicks off a unique coming-of-age story.
18:53For Gordy Lachance, his life changed when he first saw a deceased human being.
18:58The opening of the film finds an older Gordy looking back on his friendships
19:02and the journey that changed his life forever.
19:04I was living in a small town in Oregon called Castle Rock.
19:08There were only 1,281 people, but to me it was the whole world.
19:12Aside from hooking the audience in,
19:14this opening line highlights the bittersweet sense of nostalgia
19:17that makes us long for a simpler time.
19:20It happens sometimes.
19:22Friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant.
19:25Time goes by fast and is easy to take for granted.
19:29As Gordy completes his memoir, though,
19:31he remembers the importance of looking ahead to the future.
19:34I'm never going to get out of this town now, my Gordy.
19:39You can do anything you want, man.
19:44The Godfather
19:45I believe in America.
19:48America's made my fortune.
19:51And I raised my daughter in American fashion.
19:54We're all taught to believe in the American dream.
19:57The sad truth, though, is that sometimes the American dream lets us down.
20:01And the only way to get justice is by seeking out somebody like Don Vito Corleone.
20:05And those two bastards, they smiled at me.
20:10Then I said to my wife, for justice,
20:14we must go to Don Corleone.
20:16The masterful opening of the movie sees Vito being asked by a man
20:20to get revenge against violent criminals who mistreated his daughter.
20:23I'll give you anything you ask.
20:28We've known each other many years,
20:29but this is the first time you ever came to me for counsel for help.
20:33The Godfather ultimately agrees to deal out justice
20:36and go after the evil perpetrators.
20:38As Vito gives his enforcer instructions,
20:41we're forced to contemplate a tough question.
20:43Is he keeping the American dream alive?
20:46Or is he why the American dream is dead?
20:48I'm not reliable people.
20:50People that aren't going to be carried away.
20:52Number two.
20:53As far back as I can remember,
20:54I always wanted to be a gangster.
20:57Goodfellas.
20:58As far back as I can remember,
21:00I always wanted to be a gangster.
21:04Some boys dream of being president,
21:06but Henry Hill always wanted to be a gangster.
21:09This line sums up Henry in a nutshell.
21:11To me, being a gangster was better than being president of the United States.
21:17Like many of the other characters in Goodfellas,
21:20he is a selfish villain.
21:22He does whatever he wants and takes whatever he wants,
21:25with little regard for those that get caught in the crossfire.
21:27For most of the guys, killings got to be accepted.
21:30Murder was the only way that everybody stayed in line.
21:33You got out of line, you got whacked.
21:35Everybody knew the rules.
21:36In Henry's mind, being a gangster means to own the world.
21:40It was there that I knew that I belonged.
21:42To me, it meant being somebody in a neighborhood that was full of nobodies.
21:47Henry does indeed achieve all the power and wealth he ever dreamed of.
21:51That is, until his inevitable downfall.
21:53I'm an average nobody.
21:56Get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.
21:59Even then, Henry's just glad that he got a taste of the gangster lifestyle.
22:03And he wouldn't change a thing.
22:06I have a document that I'd like to have marked.
22:07See, the hardest thing for me was leaving the life.
22:10I still love them.
22:11Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
22:15Saturday, March 24th, 1984.
22:18The Breakfast Club.
22:20Immediately establishes the setting and the rebellious tone of the characters.
22:24Saturday, March 24th, 1984.
22:28Are you watching closely?
22:29The Prestige.
22:30Starting a movie with a question is always a fun idea.
22:35Are you watching closely?
22:37Number 1.
22:38Rosebud.
22:39Citizen Kane.
22:42Rosebud.
22:45Sometimes, one little word can have the greatest impact of all.
22:49In this case, Rosebud initiates what is often considered the best movie of all time.
22:59Charles Foster Kane's dying word.
23:02Rosebud sends a reporter on an investigation to uncover its true meaning.
23:06Charles Foster Kane died. He said just one word.
23:09Rosebud.
23:14He never exactly figures out what Rosebud meant, but the audience learns that it epitomizes
23:20the one thing the richest man in the world couldn't buy.
23:23His lost childhood.
23:25If you could have found out what that Rosebud meant, I bet that would have explained everything.
23:28No, I don't think so.
23:30No.
23:32Mr. Kane was a man who got everything he wanted and then lost it.
23:36Maybe Rosebud was something he couldn't get or something he lost.
23:39Bringing everything full circle, it's easy to see why Citizen Kane is a masterpiece from beginning to end.
23:50Do you agree with our picks?
23:51Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
23:54And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
23:57I'll see you next time.
23:58Bye.
23:58Bye.
23:59Bye.
23:59Bye.
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