Rather shockingly violent for the time – a number of people are shot to death, and one is even thrown off the top of a train – The Great Train Robbery features plenty of cinematic invention in its 10 minute running time. The first pan shots, location shooting, and some innovative editing techniques combine to make this familiar bank robbery tale a rousing good time, and hugely influential in regards to both westerns (many cliches that exist in modern Western films originated here) and cinema in general. The final shot (sometimes shown at the beginning) of a bandit aiming his gun directly at the screen might be superfluous, but startled audiences when the film first opened.