The Usual Suspect is a thriller genre film that appears to be detective investigation of a murder. This is shown in the scene as a character is killed.
The credits consists of a pan of the camera going over water, this is often associated with murder as frequently murders hide body's in water areas. The time of day is clear as the water is dark and lights can be seen reflecting off the surface.
After the credits we see a lighter with a close-up of a lighter which then cuts into a mid show and moves upwards as he lights his cigarette allowing us to see his facial features and clothing. He appears to be expecting someone to kill him as he is calm and relaxed when the appears on the scene later in the sequence.
We then see a key prop of a leaking barrel which appears to be leaking petrol or some other flammable material this fore shadows and explosion or major event. After the victim attempts to light a trail of the oil the camera tracks it's progress before it is stopped by the villain.
The camera at this point is at a low angle and gradually moves upwards to look at a man standing above the trail. This makes him seem powerful and he is later shown moving down the stairs by a still shot of a shadow moving downwards. This is typical of a thriller genre as it doesn't show who the is or what he looks like.
The next shot is an close up on his feet moving along the deck of the ship before it cuts to an mid-shot of his body but is still careful not to reveal the facial features of the character. He is shown to be wearing full black clothing and a trench coat. This gives the impression that he is about to commit the murder and this is later when he pulls out a pistol from his coat.
The victim seems relaxed and calm, this gives us the impression that he was expecting to be killed.
After this the camera cuts to two still shots of parts of the ship as gun shots can be heard in the distance (diegetic sound). This confirms that there has been a murder.
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