'The Usual Suspects' Opening Analysis

This is a superb opening to a classic thriller; Bryan Singer creates a huge amount of questioning by the audience just from the first few scenes of the film. He does this by not showing any indication into the location or who any of the characters are. He starts with a very subtle title opening and then cuts into the middle of things, with a character named Keaton on a burning ship with several dead men about. He lights a cigarette and starts a fire that will kill him and another man on the ship. But the fire is temporary extinguished by this man standing above Keaton, who pisses on the line of flame. The man then slowly walks down the stairs towards Keaton, at the same time there is a repetitive melody form violin strings which creates tension and suspense. Bryan Singer again forces the audience to ask, ‘who is this character?’ but no indication is given. Singer uses low angled shots to restrict the audiences view on the situation. As the man approaches Keaton it cuts to Keaton’s face and from his expression the audience can see that this man is not a friend. It then cuts and with low key lighting you can barely see what the man is doing, but Singer purposely shows a glimmer of metal. The audience immediately thinks that he has a gun or a knife and then as the music builds, so does the man’s hand which then appears to have a gun in it. This is all still a low angled shot, so your not sure whether he is pointing a Keaton or something else.
It then cuts away to a shot of the ship and all you here are two echoing gun shots. This is brilliantly done by Singer, he is making the audience hold there breath for the climax in which they think there going to see a horrific death, but Singer cleverly cuts away, so that nothing can be seen, but only heard. This also makes the audience ask whether Keaton was shot or did Keaton miraculously shoot the man.
But there question is perhaps answered when it cuts back to a figure standing on the ship, he drops his cigarette onto leaking petrol and the whole ship sets alight. The following shots show the ship burning, but there is a odd focus on some barrels and ropes which Singer makes the audience think whether Keaton is there, but still alive.