City scape time lapse - dark sky - clouds move through each other, movments dont conform, some go left some go right
Radio - diagetics, to create atmosphere
180 degree line is everything
Facial close ups on denzel, hawk doesnt get facial closeup. SHows denzel dominates scene
Two shot - focused with people in background
Non-diagetic music
Cut to action.
Strange camera angles, disrupts the scene- shows how uncomfortable ethan hawks character is.
Still moving shot of hood ornament
Police sirens in background - foreshadows conflict between the two
Never shows the legs - body language
We see denzel’s legs once, shows that he draws focus towards himself
Monte Carlo - Lowrider - hydraulics. Denzel isn’t regular cop. Hydraulics show that denzel is a flexible cop, compared to hawk who is rigid and follows the rules
Breakings eggs - breaking the ice
Eggs cooking - hawk gets cooked/roasted
Clean cut cop looks messy
Black cop dressed stereotypically - chains, skully/beanie
Denzel has his guns out, aggressive, always ready for a fight
Gun cocking scene - catches his neck in the slide
The movie opens with a cityscape time lapse, in itself this is a typical opening scene in a crime thriller. However this scene sets the tone very early on, the clouds do no conform to a movement patter, some go right & some go left. This is combined with the greyish tinge that the sky has to create a sinister undertone in a seemingly regular looking shot.
When the diner is introduced we see eggs being cracked over a hot plate. The cracking here represents how the cops are about to break the ice. And the cooking of the eggs shows how Jake is about ot get cooked/roasted by alonzo. We also see the use of diagetics, in the form of the radio, this creates a relaxing atmosphere and reminds us of a welcoming family style diner. When jake enters the bell rings and then the radio starts to fade out. This is foreshadows the conflict that is about to occur between the two cops. It also works as a clever piece of editing, in a tunnel vision style, as jake gets closer to alonzo the radio gets even quieter until finally fading out completely. This audio focus is followed throughout the rest of the diner scene, we see people in the background but they are not heard. We also here a police siren in the background which is an allusion to the conflict that is about to take place between the two.
The 180 degree line is very important in this scene, due to the dialogue based scene. However where the 180 degree line is obeyed they seem to break rules with the way they film the characters. The 180 degree rule usually com with over the shoulder shots of the upper torso and chest. However this mostly applies to Jake, Alonzo is filmed with lots of facial closeups that create his dominance over the scene. As Well as this they often film with a slant to show that Alonzo is annoyed by what is happening. The rest of the scene is a focused two shot with the occasional background actor. In these scenes the torso is the main focus as they never show the characters legs until they get up. This shows the body language of the two characters. Jake is sitting straight up which would normally show the more powerful character, however Alonzo's laid back attitude defeats Jakes straight backed authoritative figure.
Alonzo’s character is dressed somewhat stereotypically as a black man. He has his bling(chains) and his skully(beanie) and a black shirt. However he has a high buttoned shirt which also shows he is a respectable man. This respectable gangster themed clothing works in his favour and he gains the audience's respect. Jake however is wearing everyday clothes, a button up with a beige jacket. This regular John Doe clothing shows that he blends into the scene whereas Alonzo steals your attention, once again showing his dominance. Alonzo also has his guns out in the open, this shows that he is ready for a fight, whereas Jake doesn't even seem to have a gun.
When they leave the diner Alonzo bangs on the table and tells Jake to pay the bill. This forceful violent action is not challenged and we cut straight to the street. This also shows that Jake is coward as he does not even try to challenge Alonzo. When we arrive at the car we see that Alonzo is a driving a monte carlo lowrider with hydraulics. This once again shows that he is not your regular run of the mill policeman, he doesn't even lock his doors which shows that no one messes with him. They then proceed to enter the vehicle and we get a series of cut to action shots. We do not see Alonzo getting into the car, suggesting that this is his daily routine, however the focus is on Jake at this point and it shows that he doesn't really know what he is doing. When they get in the car we see a strange slant shot from Alonzo's lap, this shows how uncomfortable Jake is in the situation. Alonzo then takes out one of his guns and cocks it, catching Jake's neck in the slide. This shows that Jake is now in it for the long haul, suggesting that Alonzo has now trapped him.
