The world upside down
The movie begins with the scenery of the town with the camera occasionally flipping upside down, as the four of the students are driving towards their heist. This imagery suggests that what the students are about to do will literally flip their worlds / lives upside down. The scenery is accompanied by ominous music to further create a suspenseful and threatening mood.
Bird imagery
Bird imagery plays an important role in the movie right from the very beginning. The opening scene shows Audubon’s images of American birds intertwined with the scene of the crew’s preparation for the heist. These images show predatory birds capturing their prey, and it creates a sense of unease and threat. At this moment, the students themselves are like those predatory birds about to launch themselves on their prey - a connection which is easy to make.
A clock ticking
A lot can be inferred from the very beginning of the movie. The clock ticking provides another important aspect to the opening scene, accompanied by the images of eagles and their prey and the parents’ interviews in which they share their thoughts and emotions about what happened. A ticking clock creates a sense of urgency, of time running out, and once it runs out, it is too late.
Was it a purple or a blue scarf?
Warren and Spencer travel to New York to meet up with a guy who is supposed to be a link to the people who are willing to buy the artwork. While they are waiting for the person, they are standing far away from each other. Warren is supposed to meet with the person, while Spencer is on the lookout. What’s interesting is their description of the man and how different it is. Spencer describes him as causally dressed wearing a blue, or was it a purple scarf? Warren, on the other hand, describes the man as polished and wearing a suit. What’s significant about this scene and the change of imagery is the sense of unreliability it creates in the story. The actual perpetrators are describing the events as they remember, and more often than not, they are clashing with each other.
