What is the most essential part of a great movie? Some say the director, others say the actors. I say the film score. Now, bear in mind, I'm talking about instrumental film scores. If you were imagining the soundtracks to "The Wizard of Oz" or "The Harder They Come," those are for another list.

The music sets the tone for the entire movie. From scene to scene, it can be slow and foreboding, fast and comedic, smooth and romantic, or edgy and action-packed. Good movie music will take control of your ears, and envelop you in the world of what you are watching. Some movie OSTs (Original Soundtrack) are just as good to listen to on their own. I like to listen to OSTs when I want to watch a movie, but don't have the time to invest myself in the visual. Through headphones or in the background, to pretend as if it is on the TV, all the while writing an essay, or trying to fall asleep.

Now to let the tracks speak for themselves, this list is for music and movie lovers alike!

11. "Chinatown" (1974) Jerry Goldsmith

Best Track: "Love Theme From Chinatown"

This slow and mellow trumpet solo is as haunting as it is beautiful. It reflects the sad and mysterious events that take place in Roman Polanski's Los Angeles.

The soundtrack as a whole focuses on the dark underworld of shady deals, private investigations and murder cases. It carries a looming atmosphere, soft and light, like a thin veil, but still managing to hide what is really going on.

10." The Godfather" (1972) Nino Rota

Best Tracks: "Main Title" (first) and "Love Theme" (second)

These tracks portray the dual nature of Coppola's famous trilogy. On the one hand, "Main Title" drops you into the honorable, if violent, world of the Sicilian mob. On the other hand, "Love Theme" captures the torn feelings felt by young Michael Corleone, who reluctantly replaces his father in the family business.

(If you know how well the music fits the movie, listen to this version of "Love Theme" rearranged in a Major key. Check out how it changes the feel!)

9. "Braveheart" (1995) James Horner

Best Track: "For the Love of a Princess"

In this tale of love and loss, oppression and a desire for freedom, legendary Scottish hero William Wallace leads his country against England to the south. Set in the 13th century, "Braveheart" is a medieval epic and historical drama, flowing with war and betrayal, mercy and ruthlessness, all of which the late James Horner is able to generate in his soundtrack.

8. "Inception" (2010) Hans Zimmer

Best Track: "Time"

Hans Zimmer brought us something special when he worked on "Inception." The movie is brilliant on its own. The music just adds to the scale of Christopher Nolan's undertaking. Zimmer is arguably the best living film score composer. He has worked on many movies (two more of which are on this list!), but "Inception" sits comfortably in his top three. The whole album should be in the Best Track spot, but "Time" (and "Mombasa") is my favorite.

7. "Dr. Zhivago" (1965) Maurice Jarre

Set in the brutal days of the Russian Revolution, there is one love story, albeit scandalous, between two whose lives have been pushed in every which way by government and militant parties alike. This is the story recounted by Yuri Zhivago's half brother (Alec Guinness), trying to find his niece. The relationship between poet Yuri and Lara is rocked by civil war, but remains alive amid long winters and the distance of years.

6. "Gladiator" (2000) Hans Zimmer

I warned you Zimmer was coming back. "Gladiator" has been in a lot of my movie and music related lists, and for good reason. The story is impassioned, the hero is worthy of your support, and the music is stirring. From big battle scenes where the orchestra overwhelms, to the credits where Lisa Gerrard sings in a language of her own, the soundtrack of this movie is what I listen to on a long drive home.

5. "The Lord of the Rings" (2001, '02, '03) Howard Shore

The three-part album collection is as outstanding as the movies. Howard Shore's master work catapults him into my top three film composers. Peter Jackson could not have asked for a better accompanying score. It really does highlight every emotion and feeling that the story evokes. Proud brass for the Rohirrim, playful wind for the innocent Shire, soft voices for romance (see Evenstar, Council of Elrond), and deep bass choir for evil. Howard pulls out all the stops.

4. "Red Cliff" (2009) Taro Iwashiro

Best Track: "The Battle of Red Cliff" (Main Theme)

John Woo's two-part tale of ancient China tells of the War of the Three Kingdoms. It is a medieval Chinese-language drama, which recounts the stories of legendary heroes, blending together romance, suspense, comic relief and intense battle. The music exposes it all in high energy spirit, which remains constant throughout the album.

3. "The Last Samurai" (2003) Hans Zimmer

Set in 19th century Japan, during the Meiji Restoration, one lone American Civil War captain is brought over to teach the Imperial army how to make war on the keepers of ancestral tradition: the samurai. Tom Cruise, in my mind his best role, plays Nathan Algren, who is captured by the samurai leader Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) and who eventually learns to love the quiet way of life that the rural people lead. The soundtrack is quiet, long and meaningful in places, loud and orchestral in others.

2. "Princess Mononoke" (1997) Joe Hisaishi

Best Tracks: "Ashitaka and San" (first), "The Legend of Ashitaka" (second)

"Spirited Away" is normally considered Hayao Miyazaki's best movie, but I put "Princess Mononoke" above it. The music is a big reason why. Together with Joe Hisaishi, the two build one fantastic world of demons and spirits, human civilization and nature. In the middle is a prince who travels to a faraway land is caught up in the war raging between people and animals. Certainly an animated gem, whose soundtrack is an orchestral delight.

1. "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (1966) Ennio Morricone

Best Tracks: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," (first) "The Sundown," "The Strong" (second), "Father Ramirez" (third), "The Ecstasy of Gold"

In this final installment of Sergio Leone's spaghetti western trilogy, Clint Eastwood's man with no name pairs up with Eli Wallach's Tuco Benedicto Pacifico Juan Maria Ramirez, commonly known as The Rat, on the treasure hunt for $200,000 in gold. Their uneasy relationship is fraught with backstabbing, near-death and total mistrust, but does share the occasional sentiment. Set during the backdrop of the American Civil War, Ennio Morricone provides an adventurous and appropriate soundtrack to narrate what the camera does not.