It’s hard to think of some pathbreaking action movies without their signature theme music. Most often, these tracks are accompanied by gritty, stylised visuals. We pick six action films whose theme music scores have become part of pop culture.

No Time to Die (2021)

Monty Norman’s James Bond Theme track — most recently used in Cary Joji Fukunaga’s No Time to Die in which Daniel Craig played 007 for the last time — was first used in Terence Young’s 1962 film Dr. No, starring Sean Connery and Ursula Andress. The theme music has become synonymous with James Bond’s life on the razor’s edge as a spy with the British Secret Service. From the signature ‘gun barrel sequence’ to every tense moment in 25 films of the franchise, Norman’s signature tune has strung together different stories over the years.

For those interested in the soundscape of Bond films, Amazon Prime Video’s documentary The Sound of 007 gives an enthralling account of the original theme and the Bond songs that have become a part of pop culture lore.

Men in Black: International (2019)

Danny Elfman’s Men In Black has become synonymous with the quirky adventures of a secret US agency that supervises extraterrestrial life forms living on earth and hides their existence from ordinary humans. It was heard once again in Felix Gary Gray’s 2019 film Men in Black: International, starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson along with Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rebecca Ferguson and Rafe Spall.

The theme music, composed by Danny Elfman, was first introduced in Barry Sonnenfeld-helmed Men In Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, which took alien adventures on earth to newer heights.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

The distinct theme of the Mission: Impossible franchise can be heard in the sixth instalment of the Tom Cruise-starrer action spy movie, which also features Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Henry Cavill, Sean Harris, Michelle Monaghan, and Alec Baldwin. Mission: Impossible - Fallout is directed by Christopher McQuarrie.

Composed by Lalo Schifrin, the theme music was first heard in the 1966 TV series Mission: Impossible. Brian De Palma’s 1996 action spy film of the same name incorporated this theme from the original series and it has been used in all the movies that are part of the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Jason Bourne (2016)

In 2016, Matt Demon resumed his role as a former CIA assassin Jason Bourne in Paul Greengrass’s action thriller based on American author Robert Ludlam’s books. American electronica musician Moby’s track Extreme Ways has been used at the conclusion during the end credits in all five movies of the Jason Bourne franchise.

The theme was first used in 2002’s The Bourne Identity which was directed by Doug Liman and featured Matt Demon, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox and Franka Potente in prominent roles. John Powell composed the captivating soundtrack of this film series.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

John Williams’s epochal Indian Jones theme music was heard in Steven Spielberg’s 2008 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the fourth instalment of in the film series starring Harrison Ford as the globe-trotting archaeologist Indiana Jones.

The theme music was initially used in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, where Indiana Jones ventures to find a biblical artefact known as the Ark of the Covenant. He has to fight against Nazis troops on the way. The track’s lush orchestral arrangement, which is heavy on brass instruments, establishes the mood for the films.

Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

The George Lucas-directed 1977 space warfare film is incomplete without John Williams’s epic score and Main Title. The movie, starring Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Alec Guinness, is an uplifting tale that depicts the eternal struggle between good and evil in the guise of the Galactic empire and an army of rebels.

Williams’s theme track has been hailed as the most significant film score of all time by the American Film Institute. The rousing orchestral arrangement crowned the space opera with a unique and rich soundscape. The theme has also been used in variations in Star Wars’s prequel and sequel trilogies and several other spin-offs.