This is the opening sequence of the 2006 Action Thriller 'Casino Royale', directed by Martin Campbell, featuring Daniel Craig (Quantum of Solace, The Golden Compass) and Mads Mikkelsen (Valhalla Rising, Clash of the Titans).
Enigma (Hermeneutic) Code
- Who is he chasing?
- Why is he chasing him?
- What has he done?
- Where are they going?
- Are these the main to characters?
- Who's the protagonist?
- Who's the antagonist?
- Where is it set?
- What is in his rucksack?
- Where does he get to when he stops running?
The action in this opening sequence is obvious, the chase. It is adrenaline-pumping, full of action and stunts, and leaves the audience sitting on the edge of their seat during the crane in the sky shots. The suspense builds when Bond is surrounded while holding, what the audience is now lead to believe is the antagonist. They believe him to be cornered and out of options, and the audience is wondering what has happened when Bond gives up, but then the action starts up again as he shots the person he was chasing, and explodes the building they were in and escapes.
Semiotic Code
The setting that they are in is a marketplace, with lots of people watching snake charming/fighting, which suggests that they are in a middle-eastern area. This is confirmed during the crane scene as you can see the sun high in the sky, with very hot weather and dirt tracks all around.
Cultural Code
This sequence doesn't contain many cultural codes. However, being a James Bond film, the audience is expecting to see high levels of action and impressive explosions and this is addressed at the end of the opening sequence.
Symbolic Code
All of the scenes in this sequence have quite defined meanings so this code is close to inexistant. The shot of Bond dropping his gun at 8:53 could be seen as a sign of giving up, or that Bond has a different aproach to the situation.
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