Since the Rolling Stones have been one of the bestselling musical acts and one of the most universally adored rock bands in the world for over half a century, it’s hardly surprising that their discography has been plundered by filmmakers to create a bunch of memorable soundtrack moments throughout movie history.
Two directors who are commonly associated with the Stones are Martin Scorsese, who often pairs their headbanging rock classics with the illicit work of the mafia, and Wes Anderson, who has found a suitable place for at least one beloved Rolling Stones track in almost all of his movies.
Scorsese: “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” In Mean Streets
Martin Scorsese first introduced audiences to his penchant for well-chosen soundtracks with his third feature, Mean Streets. The director ended up spending half of his shoestring budget on licensing fees for the songs he wanted to use.
One of the most memorable music moments in the movie sees Robert De Niro’s reckless young hood Johnny Boy walking into a bar with his arms around two girls set to the Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
Anderson: “Street Fighting Man” In Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wes Anderson made the jump from live-action filmmaking to stop-motion animation with his acclaimed adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s book, Fantastic Mr. Fox.
The Rolling Stones’ “Street Fighting Man” plays as Boggis, Bunce, and Bean drive their tractors to the tree and start methodically destroying the Foxes’ home as they dig their way deeper underground.
Scorsese: “Gimme Shelter” In The Departed
Scorsese clearly enjoys “Gimme Shelter” a lot. He’s featured it in more than one of his movies, and in The Departed, his English-language remake of Infernal Affairs, he uses it multiple times throughout the film.
It’s the opening song that plays over Frank Costello’s voiceover narration, but that’s not the last time it plays. It can also be heard when Madolyn visits Colin’s apartment.
Anderson: “Play With Fire” In The Darjeeling Limited
For the most part, the soundtrack of The Darjeeling Limited is made up of reused songs from Indian cinema to capture the story’s setting and a trio of Kinks tracks (“This Time Tomorrow,” “Strangers,” and “Powerman”).
But Anderson also found a place for yet another Stones track. “Play with Fire” plays when the three brothers visit their mother, who abandoned them.
Scorsese: “Monkey Man” In Goodfellas
The iconic climactic helicopter sequence in Goodfellas features a bunch of soundtrack changes to contribute to Henry Hill’s flustered, paranoid mindset.
These soundtrack changes include George Harrison’s “What is Life,” Harry Nilsson’s “Jump Into the Fire,” and the Rolling Stones’ “Monkey Man,” which plays as Henry and Karen swing by Karen’s mother’s house to drop off the guns.
Anderson: “I Am Waiting” In Rushmore
Anderson’s sophomore directorial effort Rushmore remains one of his funniest movies to this day. Jason Schwartzman leads the cast as Max Fischer, a precocious young playwright who’s much more interested in his extracurricular activities than his actual studies.
When Max resigns from his lofty ambitions and follows in his dad’s footsteps at the barbershop, the Rolling Stones’ “I Am Waiting” plays on the soundtrack.
Scorsese: “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” In Casino
Arriving five years after the success of Goodfellas, Casino was accused of emulating its style a little too closely. While it tells a very different story about organized crime in Las Vegas, the look and feel of the movie are distinctively Goodfellas-esque.
Joe Pesci’s Nicky Santoro character is a hothead mafioso in the mold of Goodfellas’ Tommy DeVito, a role that won Pesci an Oscar. The Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” plays over a montage of Nicky committing a bunch of crimes.
Anderson: “2000 Man” In Bottle Rocket
The final heist in Wes Anderson’s directorial debut Bottle Rocket is the most hilarious sequence in the movie because everything that can go wrong does go wrong. The safecracker can’t get into the safe, one of the crew members has a heart attack, they’re locked out of the getaway van, and the security team comes back from lunch early.
The Rolling Stones’ “2000 Man” plays as the cops arrive and Dignan takes the heat to give his friends time to escape. He runs back inside the building and when he reaches a dead end, he’s caught and beaten by the cops.
Scorsese: “Gimme Shelter” In Goodfellas
In addition to playing “Gimme Shelter” in The Departed, Scorsese had previously played it in Goodfellas when Henry enters the cocaine trade against Paulie’s wishes.
The drug trade eventually becomes Henry’s downfall as he gets hooked on the drugs he’s selling and eventually gets caught in the act by the feds.
Anderson: “Ruby Tuesday” In The Royal Tenenbaums
One of the main conflicts in Wes Anderson’s melancholic family saga The Royal Tenenbaums is Richie’s secret love for his adopted sister Margot. The Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday” kicks off their relationship when they finally get together.
Margot begins a romantic affair with Richie following his suicide attempt but says they have to keep the relationship hidden from the family due to its semi-incestuous nature.