Best use of music in film.

2009   7.8   8.3 

Artist: Moby
Track: God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters

Scene: After two solid-hours of intense rivalry, the battle between Los Angeles' finest cop and its finest criminal comes to a close on a lonely strip of land next to an airstrip. As Robert De Niro's character lays dying, he holds out his hand to his assailant who now realises just how lonely he is in the world. As his life fades away, the runway lights switch on illuminating their silhouettes, creating a poignant finale.

The Flagship's rating:

2279   7.1   7.6 

Artist: Paul Oakenfold
Track: Ready, Steady, Go

Scene: Set in a vibrant nightclub, this song serves as the music to accompany a pulsating crowd. Hidden in its midst, a merciless assassin stalks his next target, while managing to dispatch several bodyguards in the strobe lighting effects. The foreboding threat of a police raid heightens the tension as the revellers dance on, unaware how close they are to a bloodbath.

The Flagship's rating:

1282   7.8   8 

Artist: Geinoh Yamashirogumi
Track: Kaneda

Scene: Pretty much the opening scene of the film which serves to highlight the inherent dangers of the exuberant Neo-Tokyo metropolis. Despite its pomp and grandeur, feral biker gangs still roam the streets and are a constant threat to the uncouth population. The violent and agitated nature of the ill-educated youth is also exposed.

The Flagship's rating:

7486   8.4   8.9 

Artist: The Pixies
Track: Where Is My Mind?

Scene: The final scene was the most memorable for me. Sitting at the top of a high-rise, severely wounded, Jack sits and watches as an entire city block of financial buildings are razed to the ground. The erratic vocals and appropriate song title accompany the destruction of corporate America in all of its chaotic beauty.

The Flagship's rating:

3443   8.3   8.6 

Artist: Bjork
Track: Venus As A Boy

Scene: A montage showing the flowering relationship between Leon and Matilda. While Matilda takes care of the menial tasks around the house, Leon trains her in the art of gun play and callisthenics. The seriousness of his regime is contrast with her youthful indifference, and sparks of emotion seem to emerge from a man who has not felt any for a very long time.

The Flagship's rating:

1982   7.2   7.6 

Artist: Coldplay
Track: Don't Panic

Scene: After waking up in his clinical and depressing room, Andrew is informed of his mothers death via an answer phone message. He is then confronted with his wall of medication and thrust into his miserable daily routine, before being threatened with employment termination. This whole film is saturated with fantastic uses of music, though this one stood out the most.

The Flagship's rating:

2980   8.1   8.6 

Artist: Richard Wagner
Track: Ride of the Valkyries

Scene: Just awesome. Insane Colonel Bill Kilgore leads a helicopter assault on a small, insignificant, barely armed coastal town, destroying just about anything in his path - all the while booming out Ride of the Valkyries over the battlefield to frighten the enemy. Black humour interspersed with all the horrors of war; one of the most memorable uses of music in film.

The Flagship's rating:

2659   7.3   7.6 

Artist: Bob Dylan
Track: The Times They Are A Changin'

Scene: The opening credits scene is a montage of events that occurred in the Watchmen universe. When I first saw how amazing the opening of this film was, I was braced for three odd hours of pure bliss. It didn't really turn out that way though, the credits are by far the greatest scene and a pretty clever way of incorporating a lot of information from the graphic novel into a short space of time.

The Flagship's rating: