American Sniper

Ennio Morricone’s “The Funeral” was used as the closing theme in Clint Eastwood’s 2014 film American Sniper. The song was originally composed for the 1965 spaghetti western, The Return of Ringo. It’s a melancholic piece of music that perfectly captured the final scenes of American Sniper — as the piece is played over a montage of footage from Chris Kyle’s funeral.

“The Funeral” exemplifies Clint Eastwood’s expert use of music in his films. Eastwood himself, played all of the jazz piano in The Hereafter, but chose Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff for his closing sequence.

To me, this…