Back catalogue: Leftfield

Review: Hans Zimmer is unquestionably one of the greatest composers of modern times. More specifically, he's perhaps the greatest living film composer, having scored more movies than we could ever hope to list here. Recent credits including the much-hyped and long-anticipated Dune redo, and Denis Villeneuve's rightly celebrated sci-fi epic, Blade Runner 2049.

As you guessed from this web page, The Dark Knight is another title he put his name to, all the way back in 2008. Christopher Nolan's second Batman instalment, arguably the finest in the history of the franchise, really needed something rooted in menacing, unsettling atmospherics, with rousing moments capable of restoring hope even against some near-impossible odds. He did just that, as this evocative powerhouse of a classical album proves. Not exactly easy listening, prepare to be moved in more ways than one.

Review: Let's face it, Hollywood director Christopher Nolan broke the mould with his re-envisioning of Batman. Taking things closer to the original comic books, themselves forced to 'go soft' by censors in the early-1950s, his films payed direct tribute to the saga's direction from the mid-1970s onwards. A trilogy of movies that were visually arresting, tonally dystopian, and viciously unhinged. It's not clear if we'll ever get a superhero (or anti-hero) film series of that class and calibre again, the world on screen so immersive you quickly feel like a Gotham native. A big part of that universe-building comes through the music, which enlists two of the greatest names in the history of soundtracks to help weave the tales. Hans Zimmer has composed for more than 150 films, James Newton Howard in excess of 100. This compilation of their shared caped crusader efforts proves why they're so well respected.