'Witness': murder scene analysis

'Witness' is a crime thriller, directed by Peter Wier. I am going to analyse the murder scene to identify aspects which establish it as a thriller film. I will start my analysis from the shot where the boy goes towards the vanishing point, as I feel this is an important shot to the scene.

This shot shows the boy leaving his mother and passing through the vanishing point: the door to the bathroom. This point is important to the scene, as it displays the mother's naivety and it gives the impression that something will happen, as the boy is leaving the safety of his mother.

As the boy enters the bathroom, it cuts to a shot of the back of a man's head. This shows that the man is the victim as showing the back of him shows vulnerability; he cannot see who is behind him until he turns around.

The scene then cuts to a point of view shot of the boy, from the man/victim's perspective. This shows the little boy is not a threat, and the victim can relax. This creates a false sense of security for the victim and audience, as both believe there is no threat, yet the killers have not yet entered the scene.

The next shot clearly establishes the set; a dingy, dim lit bathroom. The lighting is non-ambient, which creates the dim, dingy feel. The mise-en-scene has a claustrophobic feel, which can be quite threatening.

The next shot is very effective, and is used through the scene a lot. It shows the face of the boy through a crack in the door. This connotes that the boy can see out of the cubicle, and yet it would be difficult to see him unless specifically looking for him.

Next, the scene cuts to a medium close-up shot of the victim washing his face in the sink, and a person walks past. As this is a medium close-up, you do not see the face of the person walking past. This creates a threatening character.

There is a medium close-up shot of the other killer next, who turns and nods at the first one. This clearly displays that he is in charge of the crime. As this character is a black man, this scene reinforces negative racial stereotypes, which could alienate several audiences.

Next, there is a long shot of the whole bathroom, showing all three characters. Both the killers are either side of the victim, showing they have surrounded him and reflecting the claustrophobic mise-en-scene. The first killer then walks towards the door, then quickly throws his jacket over the victim's head, shocking the audience.

The scene quickly cuts to a close up shot of the victim with a jacket covering his head, and the killers arm around his neck. This and the next few shots are cut very quickly, to show how fast the crime was committed, and to create a sense of panic.

The next shot is a quick but effective shot. It is a close up shot of a knife being flicked out. This is a really threatening shot, as it is the first time the audience is made aware that there is a serious weapon involved in the crime.

There is then an extreme close up shot of the young boy's eye through the crack in the cubicle door. This shows he is watching the crime being committed, reflecting the title of the film, 'Witness', connoting this is an important scene.

The murder scene is then shown through a point of view shot from the boy's perspective. This is done very effectively, as the sides of the door were also shown in the shot, making it seem a lot more realistic. This way of showing the crime definitely displays the witnessing of the murder, as it make the audience feel like they also are witnessing the crime.