‘Rabbit Run’: Let new musicians make your movie soundtracks
Austin Butler is running from gangsters with a briefcase full of money, and Matt Smith is dressed as a punk. The whole thing would look silly were it not for the fitting soundtrack that provides a backdrop.
Punk band Idles were enlisted to help provide the soundtrack for Darren Aronofsky’s new film, Caught Stealing. Whether or not Idles would have been a popular band in 1998 New York is up for debate; however, there is no doubt their use of distorted guitars, emoted vocals and chaotic rhythm is perfect for this high-speed and high intensity motion picture.
Joe Talbot spoke openly about how excited he was to work on the film, stating that Aronofsky has helped make him the artist he is today. His input on Talbot as a creative and Idles as a whole meant that when it came to putting together a soundtrack for a punk-influenced picture, the working relationship between band and director was one made in heaven.
“This has been a huge opportunity for us that seemingly came about after a chance meeting backstage at Fallon when we both happened to be guests on the same day,” said Talbot, “But in hindsight, I realise that Darren is one of my favourite directors and his films have in some ways made me who I am as an artist. This lucid dream has been a lifetime in the making and one that I will live over and over with a huge sense of humility and joy.”
Whether you’re a fan of Idles or not, it’s hard to deny that they were a perfect choice for the soundtrack to this movie. Stylistically, both band and picture suit one another, and their sound does what any good kind of soundtrack should, which is to elevate the movie to a whole other level. It’s incredibly exciting to watch and raises a question about whether popular bands should be enlisted to do more film soundtracks.
Caught Stealing isn’t the only 2025 picture which has used a popular band to put together music for the backdrop. Danny Boyle’s rollercoaster 28 Years Later used experimental outfit Young Fathers, who were able to create a synth-heavy, off-kilter piece of music that incorporated poems from war and modern instruments to put together something which matched the grounded and ambitious elements of the 28 Years Later story. What could be better for a shot of a soldier having his head ripped off by a zombie than a euphoric style of synth? It’s really something special, and incredibly odd.
There are historical examples, too. Arguably, one of the only saving graces of Stephen King’s directorial debut (and waking nightmare) Maximum Overdrive was the soundtrack that was so beautifully provided by AC/DC. Yes, it may have been a terrible movie, but you can’t deny those solid guitar riffs provide a new light to what was a dwindling picture.
Other examples include Kendrick Lamar working on the Black Panther soundtrack, Daft Punk providing the soundtrack for Tron: Legacy and Elton John doing The Lion King. These soundtracks are now considered iconic, and it’s all because you had such brilliant musical minds behind them.
Given music and film so often intertwine, and both filmmakers and musicians are frequently inspired by one another, it makes sense that they should all have a better working relationship. If a band has a style which perfectly matches a script, that band should be brought in to help put the music together for said script. There is no escaping the fact that all the films listed above were made significantly better because of the music that was attached to them, and the mind wanders over what mediocre pictures could have become classics if they had the right musicians working on them.
