Bet it in video games, movies, or just real life in general, music has always played a subtle yet infinitely important part. In a film, it can define not just a single scene or two, but the entire experience of watching it. Yet music isn’t exactly the first priority for most people when they’re watching an action film. Some well-timed explosions and decently choreographed fight scenes, coupled with a bit of witty dialogue are all it takes to satisfy the average action moviegoer.
This doesn’t change the fact that action movies do have soundtracks, and behind these soundtracks are hard-working composers who put a lot of effort into making sure that that one fast-paced car chase is accompanied by an equally intense music track. Some composers, like Hans Zimmer, are exceptionally well known in the industry, while others, not as much. In recognition of their best endeavors, the list below looks at some of the best action movie composers working right now.
Ramin Djawadi
Game of Thrones was a global cultural phenomenon that had the attention of the world in its grasps, and although the finale left a lot to be desired, for some, one thing that audiences rarely complained about was the music.
Ramin Djawadi’s music brought Westeros to life, increasing the emotional depth of every grandiose battle scene and others. He has applied his skills behind many movies as well, notable among them being Iron Man, the upcoming The Eternals, Pacific Rim, and Dracula Untold. As anyone familiar with the music of GoT and Westworld should be able to tell, he is not only capable of producing intense action music pieces, but beautiful ambient works too.
Brian Tyler
Crazy stunts and action scenes with cars are a staple of the Fast & Furious series, and Brian Tyler’s high octane music has fueled the films for five long installments. Besides the F&F, though, he has been associated with many other action films, including Rambo, The Expendables, and Aliens vs. Predator.
Even outside the world of moviemaking, he has had many other noteworthy projects, such as arranging the 2013-2016 Marvel Studios and current Universal Studios fanfare (the main sequence that plays before the beginning of every film) and also the Formula One theme.
Danny Elfman
Director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films redefined the superhero movie landscape at the start of the century, and Danny Elfman bore the responsibility of composing these pop-culture sensations. But as iconic as his Spider-Man theme is, it wasn’t his first time working on a superhero film, the title of which belongs to 1989’s Batman.
From Spy Kids to Men in Black, there’s simply no end to the number of classics he has composed. He continues his streak to this day with Avengers: Age of Ultron, Justice League, and the upcoming Dr. Strange sequel, which will reunite him with Raimi.
Junkie XL
Dutch composer Thomas Holkenborg, better known as Junkie XL, has had a hand behind the scenes of some of the biggest action films in recent years, such as Godzilla vs. Kong, Alita: Battle Angel, Terminator: Dark Fate, and Mad Max: Fury Road. He has done significant work in the superhero genre as well, as the lead composer for Deadpool and the DCEU films Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
A DJ by trade, his loud, explosive, and expertly mixed tracks go hand in hand with the films they accompany.
Lorne Balfe
The Mission: Impossible franchise has been one of the biggest action franchises in the world for 25 years now. The latest installment, Fallout, was arguably the best in the series, and Lorne Balfe’s fierce and adrenaline-inducing music played no small part behind its success, which is probably why he is returning for the sequels as well.
Sci-fi thrillers are no stranger to him either, as he has also composed for films like Pacific Rim: Uprising, Ghost in the Shell, and Terminator Genisys.
Michael Giacchino
It is only natural that a music composer should have ties with multiple movie franchises, but Michael Giacchino boasts an exceptionally impressive professional history as someone who has composed for the MCU, DCEU, Star Wars, Star Trek, Jurassic Park, and last but not the least, the Mission: Impossible franchise.
From the epic theme song of Dr. Strange and the melancholy music of the cult-classic TV show Lost to the battlefields of the video games Medal of Honor and Call of Duty, there are few places his compositions haven’t visited.
Ludwig Göransson
Swedish artist Ludwig Göransson first got started with the popular sitcom Community, but has risen to prominence in the past few years and continues to impress with his work on films like Creed, Venom, Tenet, and the hit Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian.
His original score for Black Panther earned him his first Oscar nomination and win, and also made it the first MCU film to win an Academy Award. He is still rather new compared to many others in the field, but his track record, so far, gives hope for a bright future.
Alan Silvestri
Many music artists have worked on various MCU movies over the years, but the one who has undeniably had the most influence on the franchise is Alan Silvestri, the composer of the main Avengers theme.
He has been a long-time collaborator of director Robert Zemeckis, having made the music for all of his films since 1984, from Back to the Future to Forrest Gump. On the more action-fueled side of things, besides the four MCU films he is best known for, he has also worked on the Predator and G.I. Joe series.
John Williams
It could be said that a music composer is only as good as his most iconic creation, and John Williams has everybody beat in that department as the developer of the forever iconic theme of Star Wars.
Moving from inspiring to depressing to feeling larger than life, the music of Star Wars covers a wide variety of emotions, and at the heart of it all, for over 40 years and running, has been John Williams. Over a career spanning hundreds of films, he has received 52 Oscar nominations, which is a crazy statistic in itself.
Hans Zimmer
Not just one of the best contemporary music composers, Hans Zimmer is one of the greatest of all time. An industry icon who is greatly respected worldwide, he is also very prolific, having worked on over 150 films.
Every one of his pieces carries a distinct personality, be it the mysterious and dark theme of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, or the hope and optimism that is the essence of Superman in Man of Steel. It would be near impossible to compile a list of some of the biggest blockbusters of the century and not find the name of some of the films he has composed in it.
