Freebird has to be one of the best songs ever conceived in the history of rock. It moves at a slow pace to start with but speeds up and keeps the kind of intensity that a lot of songs today just can’t match for such a prolonged period of time. When adding it to films the feel of the song just gets stronger as it seems to bond with the scene and make it last for what feels like an awesome amount of time, not too long, but definitely not too short so that it can be missed. Plus when used in an action film it can just add a heavy punctuation to the scene that gives it that much more power.
Here are a few films that used Freebird to an absolutely masterful degree.
5. The Kingsmen: The Secret Service
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It’s a darker scene than most that uses this song, but the frantic pace and hectic setting is more than adequate as the Kingsman goes about snuffing out one person after the next. Given that the hero is supposed to be saving innocent lives rather than ending them this scene becomes something of a dark and almost comedic scenario in which the secret agent simply can’t help himself and is caught up in the moment. He’s not the only one as the entire church goes nuts on one another, the mayhem escalating with each passing second until finally there’s no one left but the Kingsman.
4. Speed Racer
Fast cars and fast songs seem to go together perfectly despite the fact that Freebird is kind of hard to find in this film unless you’re really looking. The trailer is bereft of the song but definitely pushes forth the idea that the iconic hero can’t really change who he is. He needs to race, and he needs to go fast, and the essence of the song is the fact that a person can’t just up and change that quickly.
3. Rush
Hemsworth’s character, based upon real-life racing icon James Hunt, is the type that lives for the moment and doesn’t so much worry about what’s down the road until he needs to. He’s another example of a man that won’t change in fact doesn’t want to change. He lived his life for the next thrill, the next party, and the next chance to be someone special. It’s a dream that a lot of people want but few ever attain.
2. Elizabethtown
For such a calm movie this scene escalated rather quickly. The idea of the bird soaring over the crowd was a good one, but the thought of how close to place the lights to a flammable surface wasn’t well thought out. Anything that’s not fireproofed does tend to burn when it has a scorching hot stage light put on it, and as such there’s really no surprise that this free bird became a burning phoenix that threatened to drop on some horrified spectator. Good idea, poor execution.
1. Forrest Gump
Jenny was a mess, it’s about as easy to say as it was to see in the film. She had little chance since childhood to form any lasting bonds, but she was always given a chance with Forrest. Somehow this wasn’t enough as she continued to spiral from one high to another low, until finally she seemed poised to see what it might be like to fly one more time. Thankfully that little slip of shoe brought her back to the ground and made her realize that change might be tough, but it can be good thing if it steers you back to the right path.
Whatever film it touches, Freebird is a dynamic track that speeds up the tempo and creates or enhances a situation. Hopefully Hollywood keeps such a classic on call for a long time to come.
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