Originally, I tend to watch movies (including films, TV dramas, documentaries, whatever) analytically, focusing on how music/sound is related to/synchronized with them. What I pay attention to is not limited to a technical point of view but includes emotional effect or contextual significance.
Truly excellent films, however, wouldn’t allow me to watch that way. They draw me into their world view intuitively and steal my words. Regardless of how much critics advocate its importance or how many “likes” are put on social media websites, we, fortunately, sometimes encounter a great combination of music and visual elements, which allows you to expand the way you enjoy movies.
I’d like to share such great experiences with you, by introducing some of them under the title of “Great Sound on Great Motion.” The first choice is the famous bank robbery scene from Michael Mann‘s film “Heat (1995).” When it comes to the thrilling, “badass” movie, I especially like the subdued way music is used in each scene. The track embedded on this cut (Brian Eno “Force Maker”) is so minimalistic and sparse that some audience may not notice the music. The quiet and repetitive but building piece, however, makes you hold your breath, pay more attention to how each character moves, and gradually focus on what will happen to this unpredictable situation, increasing anxiety in your heart. This is a superb “musical storytelling experience.”
Including this scene, if massive, bombastic orchestra score had been blatantly used (like we hear in recent Hollywood action films), this movie would have been much less significant and remembered. I would like to give a big shout-out to the music supervisor Budd Carr and the director Mr. Mann.