Great Hook through Exposition?
Egg Shen. Bus Driver.
Image from Big Trouble in Little China included under fair use for purposes of education and commentary.
The use of exposition dialog often boils down to the delivery method. How to include the necessary details without making it seem too obvious? Screenwriters certainly face greater challenges with this than authors.
The opening to Big Trouble in Little China is a fantastic scene. Exposition wonderfully packaged as Egg’s deposition with the lawyer. And, the scene shares glimpses into the end of the movie, teasers to pique interest.
The visual of Egg in partial shadow from the drawn blinds is on point. As we learn in the opening, some of his story is known — he’s a bus driver in San Francisco’s Chinatown, but as we will come to find out, there is equal measure (or more) about this character that is obscured, hidden in shadow.
Victor Wong does especially excellent work in this scene. His facial expression and the eyes do much of the talking.
I think it’s a great technique to introduce or learn more about a character by having other characters talk about that first character. The lawyer talks about destruction and chaos in the city and tells Egg “…there are people who say that you’re involved… that you might be responsible… that you’re a very dangerous man…”
And then we learn of another character…
“Now, if you’re protecting Jack Burton—”
“You leave Jack Burton alone! We are in his debt. He showed great courage.”
Great way to introduce a hero.
I also like that the only time in the deposition when Egg gets intensely emotional is in the defense of Jack Burton. His anger in defense of Jack adds to his words. Again, more teasers for the audience. What great deeds can we expect from Jack Burton?
The opening to Big Trouble in Little China is a great example of finding a smooth way to pack those essential story- or character-establishing details into the flow of the scene.
Do you have other examples of exposition done well?
Have you seen Big Trouble in Little China? What did you think of the opening and how the characters were developed throughout the film?