The 10 Best Uses Of Duran Duran Songs In Movies

Duran Duran have been beloved icons in the music industry since their debut album in 1981. Starting in the Birmingham club scene in England, the group has come a very long way from their humble beginnings.

With selling out arenas and winning innumerable awards over the years, it should come as no surprise that the band’s music has made its way into numerous movies. And because of the many well-known and catchy songs in their catalog, filmmakers have a plethora of hits to choose from.

10 Tequila Sunrise (1988) – “Do You Believe In Shame?”

In this steamy crime caper, a love triangle develops between best friends Nick (Kurt Russell), Mac (Mel Gibson), and mutual love interest, Jo Ann ( Michelle Pfeiffer). Mac is a former drug dealer trying to go straight while Nick is a high-powered detective. As well as testing their friendship, the love triangle also risks Mac’s freedom when underworld types and the DEA get involved.

Duran Duran’s ballad “Do You Believe In Shame” from their 1988 album, Big Thing, is played in the movie as Mac is pressured by his cousin on drug-related matters and the song plays on Mac’s boombox. The slow and emotional song complements the scene beautifully, and it underscores the seriousness that Mac faces as he is constantly propositioned to go back to his old criminal ways.

9 Monster (2003) – “All She Wants Is”

Monster is the true story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. The film is brutal, dark, and unflinching in its portrayal of tough subject matter. Given this, it may be surprising that Duran Duran, better known for their public image of cavorting on yachts in the Caribbean, has a part in the soundtrack of the film.  However, their 1988 dance single “All She Wants Is” is a perfect fit for the movie and its scene because it places the setting of the film.

The song is heard at the beginning of the film when Aileen and Selby meet in a club. The time period and the club setting are deduced from the use of the group’s house-influenced single.

8 Bumblebee (2018) – “Save A Prayer”

Apt for the film’s ’80s time period, Bumblebee features Duran Duran’s classic song, “Save a Prayer.” The prequel film follows the teen Charlie who finds a fugitive Bumblebee in a California junkyard in 1987. And the more time Charlie spends with Bumblebee, the more she realizes that this is no average car.

The song plays almost like a theme song for Charlie, as she walks into the junkyard and is guided to Bumblebee through the car’s cues and prompting. With the great soundtrack and fashion of the decade on display in the movie, it would be fun for fans to imagine recasting the characters of Bumblebee if it were actually made in the ’80s, rather than in 2018.

7 Son Of Rambow (2007) – “Wild Boys”

Son of Rambow follows two English schoolboys in the ’80s, Lee and Will, as they try to make their own movie based on the first Rambo movie, First Blood. Son of Rambow has a great soundtrack filled with ’80s hits from bands like The Cure, Depeche Mode, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and of course, Duran Duran.

Duran Duran’s massive 1984 hit “Wild Boys”  is played in the film when the boys go to the school dance with the new French exchange student. The song is more than suitable for the moment, as the French kid is viewed as impossibly cool and super popular, while Lee is reputed as the worst behaved in school.

6 American Wedding (2003) – “The Reflex”

In a scene that is jam-packed with ’80s hits, “The Reflex” plays in the energetic dance-off that Stifler gets involved in while at a club. In this outing from the American Pie franchise, American Wedding is about the upcoming marriage of Jim and Michelle and the rest of the gang getting back together for the nuptials.

This American Pie film is one of the best-reviewed films of the American Pie series, and the hilarious dance scene uses the perfect music to capture the high energy of the moment. With “The Reflex” blasting, it would be hard not to dance.

5 Donnie Darko (2001) – “Notorious”

In this dark, ambiguous film, the plot centers around teenager Donnie and his warning from a nefarious rabbit that alerts him that the world will end in 28 days. The film leaves the unfolding events vague, suggesting that these crazy occurrences could all be in Donnie’s mind or a parallel universe or even actually happening. Donnie Darko is so vague, in fact, that there are a vast number of Reddit fan theories centered around the film.

But in the dance recital scene, “Notorious” is played while Donnie’s little sister is dancing intercut with scenes of Donnie setting fire to the house of duplicitous motivational speaker, Jim Cunningham. The dichotomy between the lively song and innocent dance number compared to Donnie’s arson sets a chilling mood to the scene, appropriate for the creepy tone of the film.

4 Layer Cake (2004) – “Ordinary World”

In the cafe scene in the high-octane action gangster flick Layer Cake, Duran Duran’s comeback hit, “Ordinary World,” plays. The song is first muted in the background, but once the brutal fight kicks off, the tune is on full blast throughout the rest of the action.

In a memorable part of the scene, a piping hot tea kettle is poured over an undesirable lackey by an enforcer, while the wistful song is the only sound that’s audible. The explosive rage in the scene contrasts with “Ordinary World’s” slow and mournful melody, creating an oddly poetic fight sequence.

3 Big Fat Liar (2002) – “Hungry Like The Wolf”

In this 2000s family film, Paul Giamatti’s powerful producer, Marty Wolf, steals 14-year-old Jason’s class paper and turns it into a big-budget Hollywood movie. Jason then goes to great lengths to prove how vile Wolf truly is by turning the producer’s world upside down.

Duran Duran’s ultra-catchy “Hungry Like the Wolf” is played multiple times throughout the film, as it serves as Marty Wolf’s theme song. The use of this song in this family-friendly movie was many Millennials and Gen Z’s first awareness of the single and Duran Duran, cementing a new, younger fanbase of Duranies.

2 Sing Street (2016) -“Rio”

The title song off the eponymous album that was a spectacular success from its release in 1982, “Rio” has been used in many films and television shows, including in 2016’s Sing Street. The film is about a group of misfits in ’80s Ireland who form a new wave band and it is a love letter to the groups of the ’80s.

The song is played by the band as they try to find their way as a group and as individuals, gaining confidence as they become more adept at their musical talents.

1 A View To A Kill (1985) – “A View To A Kill”

Duran Duran provided the theme song for this James Bond movie, an honor shared by Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, and Adele, among many other talents. The dynamic song is fast-paced and bold, much like the film itself.

In an exciting opening title sequence, “A View to a Kill” plays and engages the audience from the moment the credits start. Many may even remember the theme song more fondly than the movie itself, which also has its fair share of interesting facts and trivia. Whatever the case, Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill” is a top-notch James Bond theme, as well as one of the band’s best hits.

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