Ten non-specific, non-definitive movies about Killers [and their scores]:

1. Interview With the Vampire - A fantastical aspect of the killer. When neophyte vampire Louis chooses eternal life over death, he is forced to kill by nature. Rather than embrace his thirst for human blood, he struggles against others who share his nature. Elliot Goldenthal weaves a dark neo-classical score under director Neil Jordan's vision of the novel by Anne Rice.

2. The Specialist - Another assassin/bomb-maker who struggles against his nature, pitted against a former comrade. Sort of plays like a dark James Bond. Appropriately, then, John Barry applies a seedy, jazzy score under the Latin American backdrop.

3. Hannibal - Chosen because Hannibal is truly Dr. Lecter's story, whereas Silence of the Lambs was the story of fledgling agent Clarice Starling. The ads for this movie taut the evil legacy of Dr. Lecter, when in truth his most notable killings are those who practice an virtually-criminal hypocrisy. Lecter's greatest foes are not killers, but they are likewise, evil. Hans Zimmer with the aid of Klaus Badelt also applies a dark-classical score, to accentuate the delicate-if-anthropophagic nature of Anthony Hopkins' most memorable role.

4. Blade Runner - Ridley Scott again. Depending on which version of the film you view, the future of Rick Dekard is in question. Is he a hunter of abomination of nature, or is he an abomination of nature set to kill others of his own kind? A very influential picture for the genre, based on Phillip K. Dick's "cyberpunk" novella. Vangelis' score mixes noir-ish jazz with grand otherworldly synthezizers.

5. Unforgiven - Can an individual ever "retire" from being a killer? When driven by injustice, even the brutal nature of Eastwood's Munny is reawakened. A sucess for director Eastwood and supporting actor Hackman at the Oscars. Eastwood's films are notable for their lack of strong thematic music, playing more to softer, subtle emotion. Unforgiven is not the exception, featuring Eastwood's traditional piano-theme for (interstingly) a character who is dead before the movie begins....collaborator Lennie Niehaus provides the remainder of the score.

6. Richard III - a mid-1990's envisioning of Shakespeare's dark play featuers Ian McKellan as Richard of Gloucester, whose reign as a murderous king echoes the rise of a fascist regime during the 1930's. Trevor Jones' dark score on is second chair to monologues, dialogues and faux-period music.

7. Grosse Point Blank - Dark humor saturates this fairly original story of an assassin who attempts to find redemption at his high school reunion. Funniest scenes feature John Cusack bearing his despair to terrified psychologist Alan Arkin (At least five years before the advent of The Sopranos!) The musical substance of this film is primarily 80's flashback songs, oldies but goodies.

8. The Jackal - High-tech remake of a relatively low-tech story, the plot to assassinate Charles DeGaulle, except in this version, the otherwise-nameless Jackal seeks an American government target with a much bigger gun....Bruce Willis takes on a evil role for a change. A good change of pace. (Author's note: While I enjoyed Zinneman's original film, this version holds a particular distinction, in that I spend a few days on the set as an extra. I actually got in the film for a whole second--.75 seconds in pan-and-scan...) Carter Burwell's score remains unofficially released, but is classic dark Burwell.

9. The Professional - Luc Besson's dark-and-hopeful story about an assassin who finds redemption in a girl orphaned by a corrupt narcotics officer and his hit-squad. The sadly inevitable ending proves once again that one never retires from being an assassin.... Eric Serra's score is quite servicable, if unremarkable, unmemorable.

Np: Jurassic Park III (Don Davis)

1. They're not top 10 lists. Just lists of 10.

2. It's a nice round number.

3. Most folks who do "lists of ten" never really stick to 10. They'll often try to squeeze in an 11th or 12th....

4. It's an attempt to generate thoughtful analysis and conversation based on facts...outside of the droll factoids and opinions that often appear on the board.

5. Horner probably would not do a "sucky" job on Jurassic Park 4...if there should be yet another sequel. (See #4)

6. It examines common themes in film as related through mythology, psychology, and general culture.

7. Through examining common themes in film, it also examines similar or vastly different approaches in film music.

8. It's an attempt to contribute, communicate, and participate with some originality on this board.

9. There is no #9.