Random Films that have Flashbacks

John Wick (2014) Flashforward. The opening scene of John Wick crashing his SUV into a loading dock, he’s injured, his hands  are bloody,  he crawls to the edge of the loading dock and pulls his phone from his jacket pocket and starts to watch a video of his wife on the beach. He appears to be dying, the shot then fade to black, the main title sequence overlays the scene, JOHN WICK with the sound of an alarm clock. The film is now being revealed in flashback.

In the closing sequence the events that lead to the opening sequence at the docks are played out, the spectator is returned to the opening sequence  Johns wife’s voice can be heard from the phone video, “Time to go home John” with this sound cue the sequence returns to chronological time. John breaks into a vets, self medicates and chooses to take a dog home, closing credits.

The flashforward sequence creates a dramatic opening, without this the start of the film would have been John waking up to an alarm clock. While this would have been an acceptable start to the film, the use of the flashforward brings the action that is to follow right to the beginning of the film.

See The Lives of Others (2006) and Oldboy (2003) for other examples of the use of the flashforward.

Flashbacks in Film: The Lives of Others (2006)

Flashbacks Chapter One Draft continued…