The Big Combo starts with a big title spreading across the background of a city,this automatically shows us that this film is going to be set in a big city, stereotypically showing us a convention of film noir. Next we see the titles of all the stars and characters that are featured in the film,then we are shown the lead actor Cornel Wilde and then we are shown the director of the film last.We see a police officer escorting people across the road showing us another convention of film noir, as a key character in these types of films are in fact detectives or lieutenants.We see a extreme long shot of a boxing ring creating the idea that this film could include violence and pain, which we do actually see later in the film.A young blonde female is running through small, dark alleyways from two men who seem to be chasing her, this shows us another convention of film noir, showing us the blonde femme-fatale character we expect to see in every noir film.At the end of the opening sequence we see a police car pulling up outside a building,this shows the opening sequence is ending as it started with the police escorting people across the road, by using the old car as part of the Mise en Scene we get an understanding of what time the film is set in.
