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The new action-thriller King of Killers is tearing up audiences everywhere and with it marks the return of Kickboxer franchise star Alain Moussi who teams up with genre favorite Frank Grillo for a bloody Battle Royale of assassins. This is a can’t miss actioner for die hard fans and it’s locked and loaded with amazing fight action and noirish drama with a graphic novel tinge as it’s adapted from director Kevin Grevioux’s own creation.
Just like any action movie, or any movie for that matter, a rousing musical score is key to drawing in an audience and immersing them in the chaos and mayhem on screen. Done right, and it’s a character all it’s own with a very important job.
For King of Killers, composer Kevon Cronin accepted the challenge of creating the right mood and exhilaration for the film’s many dramatic and action packed moments. In this exclusive interview with Action-Flix, Kevon talks about his history in music, his thought processes on creating the right score and above all, his creative influences and above all, how the music makes the chaos!
Action Flix: Hi Kevon, first of all I want to say thank you for taking the time to talk with me. We are here to discuss King of Killers, your latest music score. Before we get into it, talk about the path that led you to music. Was it something you always loved and wanted to do?
Kevin Cronin: I’ve always had a love for music and composition ever since I was young and taking piano lessons. Instead of practicing scales, I preferred to create my own compositions, much to the frustrations of my instructors. I was in my teens when I was fortunate enough to see the film Star Trek: First Contact that was scored by Jerry Goldsmith. After witnessing the power that his music brought to that film, I was hooked and knew what I wanted to do.
AF: Growing up, what film scorers were most influential to you? What’s your favorite?
KC: The work of Jerry Goldsmith was a huge inspiration for me and still is to this day. His ability to write memorable themes, interesting rhythmic motifs, and incorporate avant-garde compositional techniques into his work wasgroundbreaking. I still look to his work to this day to find inspiration.
AF: Talk about your process on doing a score. What steps do you take in creating them?
KC: Well, if I’m brought onto a project early enough, I like to read the script, after which I’ll discuss the story with the director. Following this, I like to sit down at the piano and create themes and a sound world that is unique for each project. After this, I can finally sit down at my computer and create a suite of music based on the script and discussions with the director that can then be used by the editor to be temped into the film. Once the picture has been locked, I will then have further discussions with the director and producers about the temp music in the film, how it works against the picture, and how best to approach the score for the project.
AF: King of Killers is your newest film score. How did you get involved with the film and what enticed you to do it?
KC: I was fortunate enough to become aware of the project early on, at which point I decided to write a suite of music loosely based on the story that I could find out. Then my friend John Gurdebeke was gracious enough to use the suite of music that I had created and temp it into the film. After hearing my work against the picture, I was lucky enough to be brought on board by Kevin Grevioux(director), Chris Rush Harrington (producer), and the rest of the team.
AF: Action film scores need to pull the audience into the movie and essentially be its own character. Talk about how this one does that.
KC: When I sat down with Chris and Kevin to discuss the film and the direction that the score should take, it became apparent that the approach should be one that combines mythic as well as modern elements to tell the story of how this modern-day group of assassins had roots that were very much rooted in an age-old story. To do this, I combined various instruments to create this sound world such as my cellotar and the electric guitar played my good friend Chris Robinson to lend a modern edge to the score, while at the same time using a cello played by my good friend Norm Adams and a mandolin played by Chad Tremblay to harken back to the mythic story of these assassins.
AF: In a few words, how would you describe this score for King of Killers?
KC: I would say it’s eclectic, genre bending, percussive, emotional, and rocking.
AF: How does this score differ from other classic action films?
KC: This score is much more varied and electronic than you might hear in a traditional action movie.
AF: For me, I loved the guitar riffs and percussion on the film. Especially the Asian aesthetic to it. They amped up the energy and made it unique when the action hit. Do you have a particular scene you loved from a music standpoint?
KC: Partway through the film, the protagonist Marcus decides to travel to Tokyo. I had a lot of fun combining elements from various cultures into the score for King of Killers. One scene involved a fight between Asha and Jorgin which it started out with pounding Taiko drums and then transitions halfway through the scene into aggressive electronic dubstep.
AF: Did you use the eclectic cast of assassins to inspire the music? I felt that each one had a distinct voice in the movie.
KC: Yes, it was an important request given to me from day one by Kevin and Chris to employ a thematic approach to the score. Whether it was the use of strumming my cellotar to signify the heroic nature of Marcus or the hint of an electronically transformed trumpet for Georges St-Pierre’s character Andre.
AF: Talk about the epic music for the showdown between Alain and Frank. How did you go about tackling that particular scene as it’s the rousing finale?
KC: The initial idea came from a discussion I had with Kevin and Chris. Kevin requested that the scene start out with the simple beat of Timpani to signify the importance and finality of this scene. It was from this element that the rest of the cue grew by incorporating the cellotar for Marcus, the bowed cellotar for Jorg, the pounding of the drums to create tension, and the wonderful rising electronic guitar played by my friend Chris Robinson.
AF: The movie is based on a graphic novel. Did that inspire you in some way?
KC: From the outset it was important to Kevin and Chris that this movie and the score not take the traditional approach that one might expect from a film based on a graphic novel. They wanted the score to reflect the mythic and age-old story of this group of assassins and bring it into the modern world with electric guitars, synth, and sound design.
AF: What are your future plans now that this film is complete?
KC: Hopefully I will get a chance to sit down and experience it in the theater, as well as take joy in seeing how the rest of the audience experiences this wonderful world that has been created.
Take a listen to two of the tracks from the musical score of King of Killers!
Thanks Kevon for taking us inside creating a score for one rocking action flick! Be sure to check out King of Killers now I’m select theaters as well as all Digital Platforms and VOD from Lionsgate!
