"Shoot 'Em Up" Soundtrack Lyrics

“Shoot ’Em Up (Original Motion Picture Score & Music From the Motion Picture)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

How do you score a movie that treats gunfights like tap numbers? Shoot ’Em Up answers with two engines: Paul Haslinger’s jagged, electronic-leaning score and a jukebox of hard rock, metal, and crate-digger cuts that punch like sound effects. The soundtrack isn’t wallpaper — it’s propulsion.

Haslinger’s cues (“Dawn Patrol,” “Mister Hertz,” “Tit-4-Tat”) flicker between synth pulses and string stabs, while the songs album slams in Motörhead, AC/DC, Nirvana, Strapping Young Lad, and more. Together they map Mr. Smith’s sprint from alley delivery room to skydiving firefight. As trade listings and label notes confirm, the score dropped in 2007; the separate songs set followed in early 2008.

Arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse. Early scenes use metallic grooves to make movement feel inevitable; mid-film doubles down with needle-drops that practically choreograph reloads; the last act lets classic riffs become punchlines. Style map: industrial/score — edge and timing; metal & hard rock — momentum and sneer; left-field lounge/funk — grimy humor; opera ringtone — villain’s smirk.

How It Was Made

Writer-director Michael Davis wanted action that dances. He shot in Toronto with Hong Kong legend Peter Pau, then cut to Haslinger’s compact cues for pace. Music supervision (listed on credits) slots in aggressive guitar anthems and sly needle-drops; the result is part score, part mixtape, all velocity. The official Varèse Sarabande score album focuses on Haslinger’s 22 short tracks; New Line/Varèse later issued a “Music from the Motion Picture” set collecting key licensed songs.

Tracks & Scenes

“Ace of Spades” — Motörhead
Where it plays: ~0:32 Shootout in Smith’s hideout — a multi-level brawl where he rope-drops into the stairwell and the rope is shot (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Pure attitude; the riff syncs to muzzle flashes (as cataloged by SoundtrackRadar and credits).

“Zen” — Strapping Young Lad
Where it plays: ~0:31 A heavy-metal video blasts on the TV and, hilariously, baby Oliver stops crying (diegetic gag).
Why it matters: Character comedy via metal — this kid likes it loud.

“Breed” — Nirvana
Where it plays: Mid-film action montage with vehicular mayhem and grimy momentum (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Cobain’s sprinting cut matches the film’s slam-bang edits.

“If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” — AC/DC
Where it plays: Skydiving firefight — Smith dives from a plane, reloads mid-freefall, trades shots at terminal velocity (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: A wink so big it becomes a mission statement: excess embraced.

“Kickstart My Heart” — Mötley Crüe
Where it plays: Adrenaline montage and marketing spots; in-film bursts around vehicular chases (non-diegetic/marketing tie-in).
Why it matters: A title-as-verb that sums up the movie’s pacing.

“Joker and the Thief” — Wolfmother
Where it plays: Rooftop shootout — Smith sprints across catwalks and vents as spotters scramble (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Big, stomping riff for big, stomping geography.

“Dirty Laundry (Skeewiff Remix)” — Bitter:Sweet
Where it plays: Smith heads to Donna’s haunt to feed the baby; seediness with a sly groove (source ambience that slips to mix).
Why it matters: Lounge-funk contrast amid chaos — the movie’s sense of humor.

“Play With Your Pussy” — Max Romeo
Where it plays: ~0:26 Gun shop run — Smith buys ammo and hardware while the off-color track purrs (source in-store).
Why it matters: A cheeky title for a very not-cheeky errand. (SoundtrackRadar placement.)

“Ride of the Valkyries” — Richard Wagner
Where it plays: ~0:23 Hertz’s ringtone — every time the phone rings, the joke lands again (diegetic).
Why it matters: Villain branding by ringtone.

“Switch On” — Paul Oakenfold
Where it plays: Early energy burst that tees up urban pursuit (non-diegetic, album open on the songs set).
Why it matters: A sleek electronic jolt that plays nice with Haslinger’s palette.

“Rat Bastard” — Paul Haslinger (score)
Where it plays: One of several staccato cues punctuating gun gags; quick synth/perc stabs bridge edits (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: The score’s purpose: keep the action crisp between anthems.

Notes & Trivia

• Haslinger’s Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (22 tracks, ~36 min) released August 28, 2007 (Varèse Sarabande).
• A separate Music from the Motion Picture album followed February 12, 2008, bundling licensed songs (Oakenfold, Motörhead, AC/DC, etc.).
• Music supervision/album credits include Erin Scully (music supervisor) and Dana Sano (soundtrack album producer) on studio listings.
• The film leans into metal so hard that, in-story, heavy music calms baby Oliver — a running gag.
• Hertz’s phone blares Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries,” turning a trope into a ringtone punchline.

Music–Story Links

When “Ace of Spades” hits during the hideout assault, rhythm becomes blocking; Smith’s rope-drop reads like a drum fill. The freefall shootout earns AC/DC’s swagger — the song’s promise (“If you want blood…”) becomes literal. Lounge and funk cues sell grit-with-a-grin moments, like feeding the baby in a seedy bar, while Haslinger’s compact cues reset the pulse after each needle-drop. Even ringtone gags do characterization work: Hertz hears Wagner; of course he does.

Reception & Quotes

Critics called the film “audacious, implausible, cheerfully offensive” and praised its velocity; more than one singled out the music’s role in keeping the action buoyant. The score album drew notice for its brevity and punch, while the songs disc reads like a time-capsule of mid-2000s hard-rock syncs.

“Eighty-two minutes of hardcore pow… exhilarating and exhausting.” Rolling Stone (Travers)

“The most audacious, implausible, cheerfully offensive, hyperactive action picture I’ve seen.” Roger Ebert

Availability: Score on Varèse Sarabande (CD/streaming); songs compilation digitally available. The film itself (2007, New Line) streams/rents widely.

Interesting Facts

• Haslinger’s cue titles (“Goodbye Oliver,” “Stealing a Beamer”) double as plot breadcrumbs.
• The songs disc pairs metal with curveballs (Bitter:Sweet lounge, Max Romeo’s rude reggae) for comedy contrast.
• Label notes tag the score as a Varèse Sarabande release under license from New Line.
• Several placements (“Ace of Spades,” “Breed,” “If You Want Blood”) are also documented on IMDb’s Soundtracks page.
• Marketing/trailers used additional cues (e.g., “Let There Be Drums” call-outs in fan catalogs), not all present in the film.

Technical Info

• Title: Shoot ’Em Up — Original Score & Songs Overview
• Film Year: 2007 (US theatrical; songs album issued 2008)
• Type: Film score (Paul Haslinger) + Various Artists compilation
• Composer: Paul Haslinger
• Music Supervision: Erin Scully (credits); soundtrack album produced by Dana Sano
• Labels: Varèse Sarabande (score, 2007); New Line/Varèse (songs set, 2008)
• Selected placements: “Ace of Spades” (Motörhead); “Breed” (Nirvana); “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” (AC/DC); “Kickstart My Heart” (Mötley Crüe); “Joker and the Thief” (Wolfmother); “Dirty Laundry (Skeewiff Remix)” (Bitter:Sweet); “Zen” (Strapping Young Lad); “Play With Your Pussy” (Max Romeo); Haslinger cues including “Rat Bastard,” “Tit-4-Tat,” “Goodbye Oliver.”
• Distributor: New Line Cinema

Questions & Answers

Why are there two albums?

The 2007 release is Haslinger’s score; a separate 2008 compilation collects the licensed songs used onscreen.

Who handled the music behind the scenes?

Composer Paul Haslinger; music supervisor Erin Scully; soundtrack album produced by Dana Sano.

What’s the song during the stairwell/hideout chaos?

Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades,” synced to the rope-drop shootout.

Which track underscores the skydiving gunfight?

AC/DC’s “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It).”

Is the baby-and-metal joke really a thing?

Yes — a diegetic gag; “Zen” (Strapping Young Lad) blares and Oliver calms down.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: IMDb (film & Soundtracks); Wikipedia (film & music section); Varèse/label listings (AllMusic, Apple Music, Spotify); Discogs (score release page); SoundtrackRadar (timestamps & scenes); MovieMusic/retail listings for the songs album; fan/press trailer IDs.

November, 27th 2025