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Artwork copyright (c) 2003 Universal
Studios; review copyright (c) 2003 James Southall
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THE RUNDOWN Atmospheric
jungle score A review by JAMES SOUTHALL 2003 has proved to be something of a breakout year for Harry Gregson-Williams.
Sure, he's scored various big movies in the past, but the diversity of his three
main 2003 assignments, Sinbad, Veronica Guerin and The Rundown
show that he has moved towards the top of the Hollywood film composer ladder
relatively quickly. He's done it with consummate skill, and if the films
themselves didn't attract a great amount of praise from critics, the scores
certainly got noticed and I'm sure that of all the Media Ventures group to
emerge over the last decade, Gregson-Williams is the one whose future as a solo
composer in film music is the most assured. The movie is an action comedy based in the South American jungle and Gregson-Williams's
score is therefore fashioned around very elaborate percussion, much of it real
(for once) and not of the horrible synthesised variety. There's not much
in the way of a main theme, just an underlying feeling and atmosphere that
pervades every track. Despite most of the tracks being so short, the album
doesn't come across as being particularly bitty, essentially because of the
consistent tone. There are a few tracks that do stand out in this. The jungle rhythms
reach dizzying heights in "The Jungle" and "Journey Ends"
and there is some good action music in tracks like "Monkeys and
Rebels", "Massacre" and especially "Get it On", which
is terrific. Other highlights include
typically-assured guitar performances by Heitor Pereira which showcase his
undoubted flair. Sometimes though, Gregson-Williams seems just to be
drifting along without really having much to say, and possibly with the
judicious pruning of a few of the tracks this album would have played a lot
better. Nothing is particularly poor, the album just loses a little
momentum from time to time. This is the sort of album that makes for very good listening without actually
being spectacularly good in any one way. It is another confident and
attractive score from the composer who can surely only move on to bigger and
better things in the coming years. Buy this CD
from amazon.com by clicking here!
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