I must admit, I spent so much of my time watching The Union concerned that Halle Berry’s hair covering at least one of her eyes at most times would make her life as a secret agent considerably more difficult than it really needed to be, that I may have missed all the good parts of the film, because I don’t really remember there being any – other than finding Rupert Gregson-Williams’s score to be a pleasant enough surprise that I would give the album a go. It’s a breezy, all-action affair which doesn’t perhaps break much new ground but its blend of John Powell-ish Bourne-style action music with a hint of David Arnold’s Bond sound makes for a satisfying listen.

I don’t want to get you too excited – it isn’t as good as a Bourne or a Bond score – but it’s got a nice “unplugged” sound to it which makes it very easy to enjoy. The simple main theme, an eight-note figure usually played by a solo trumpet, finds its way into the bass harmony placed under some of the action material which gives the whole thing a nice, cohesive feel and (the thing that made it such a pleasant surprise while watching the movie) there is nary an abrasive synth in sight. Action dominates the 45-minute album (the lilting “Athena” the most notable exception) and it’s all stylish and entertaining, there’s a nice main theme tying it all together, so even if it’s relatively standard stuff, it’s still done well enough to make it worth a go.

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