James Horner

We have to say, James Horner's score is so aggressively present, it's almost like another character. Starting with the credits, where you can fairly say the music soars, the score really thunders home the poignant drama of it all. Used to music that fades into the background of a movie? Well, not here, folks.

We have one word for you: strings. Lots of strings. Oh, and soprano singing.

If you've "seen" any of Horner's other work, such as Titanic and Braveheart, none of what we just said should surprise you. Those scores are iconic for a reason—the heavy drama going on courtesy of the script, actors, and direction gets a huge boost from those movies' distinctive and dramatic scores. So, it's no surprise that Horner did it again with A Beautiful Mind.