Collateral
James Newton Howard
" Diverse musical taste transports you back into Max' his cab "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Director Michael Mann has swum various waters before, making a road thriller starring Jamie Fox and Tom Cruise is definitely one of his most intriguing, if merely for the unusual chemistry between good guy Fox and bad guy Cruise. The movie is also beautifully shot, offering a diverse and colorful look at downtown LA. But the musical diverse selections are no way to be ignored here. Michael Mann has always been a director who understood the effect of a good musical soundtrack, and Collateral is by no means different in that statement.
So the soundtrack recreates that diverse musical palette on CD easily. Let's talk a little bit first about the songs and various additional score selections. First of all we want to pinpoint out that James Newton Howard didn't score this movie alone. Additional material came from Tom Rothrock, Antonio Pinto and Zachary Koretz of which 4 pieces are released on this soundtrack. The opening moody "Briefcase" and the rocking "Rollin' Crumblin" show Tom Rothrock's additional material. This is more the hard rocking voice of the score. Antonio Pinto's material is the opposite of that. "Car Crash" reflects more on the emotional responsibility of Max than on the collision itself, while "Requiem" brings forward a strong musical finish.
Next to the additional score we have the song material. The relaxing feel good song "Hands of Time", the exotic South American rhythms of "Güero Canelo" and "Destino de Abril", the Pearl Jam like "Shadow on the Sun", the jazzy performances of Miles Davis, a light Cuban spin on Bach's Air through the performances of Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion and a techno piece by Paul Oakenfield, pieces that all reflect the places Vincent wreaks havoc upon.
After everything's been said and done, James Newton Howard's music only takes about the remaining 7 minutes of space on this soundtrack. It's definitively not a lot, but like said, I don't think Collateral offers much more music that isn't featured on this soundtrack. It's only in the finale of the film that the movie suddenly turns into a thriller, and then nothing but filmmusic can compensate for this. So considering the hunt is on, James Newton Howard concentrates more on the rhythmic chase than on symphonic harmony. In "Max Steals Briefcase" the percussion fuels the electric guitars that supports Max' chase, all the while an orchestra actually adds unfelt thrill to "Vincent Hops Train", which is an absolute crowd pleaser inside the movie itself. James Newton Howard's rocking "Finale" actually belongs after Pinto's requiem, and not before it.
All in all Collateral was never going to be an award winning soundtrack, and the few musical score tracks of James Newton Howard are not the reason why someone would think on buying this soundtrack. No you have to consider that Michael Mann had already a plan with Collateral before the composers stepped on board. The actual musical selections show aplenty which direction the director was going for. Because where Max and Vincent stepped in, so did the viewer. And then a jazz café, a dance club or a subway train had to be musically approachable through any sound necessary. In the end it makes for a diverse listening experience all right.
Tracklisting
1. Briefcase * (2.08)
2. The Seed: The Roots featuring Cody Chesnutt (4.13)
3. Hands of Time: Groove Armada (4.20)
4. Güero Canelo: Calexico (3.00)
5. Rollin' Crumblin * (2.22)
6. Max Steals Briefcase (1.48)
7. Destino de Abril: Green Car Motel (5.15)
8. Shadow on the Sun: Audioslave (5.44)
9. Island Limos (1.34)
10. Spanish Key: Miles Davis (2.26)
11. Air: Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion (5.47)
12. Ready Steady Go: Paul Oakenfold (4.49)
13. Car Crash ** (2.20)
14. Vincent Hops Train (2.02)
15. Finale (2.18)
16. Requiem ** (1.56) Excellent track
* Additional material by Tom Rothrock
** Additional material by Antonio Pinto
Total Length: 52.03
So the soundtrack recreates that diverse musical palette on CD easily. Let's talk a little bit first about the songs and various additional score selections. First of all we want to pinpoint out that James Newton Howard didn't score this movie alone. Additional material came from Tom Rothrock, Antonio Pinto and Zachary Koretz of which 4 pieces are released on this soundtrack. The opening moody "Briefcase" and the rocking "Rollin' Crumblin" show Tom Rothrock's additional material. This is more the hard rocking voice of the score. Antonio Pinto's material is the opposite of that. "Car Crash" reflects more on the emotional responsibility of Max than on the collision itself, while "Requiem" brings forward a strong musical finish.
Next to the additional score we have the song material. The relaxing feel good song "Hands of Time", the exotic South American rhythms of "Güero Canelo" and "Destino de Abril", the Pearl Jam like "Shadow on the Sun", the jazzy performances of Miles Davis, a light Cuban spin on Bach's Air through the performances of Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion and a techno piece by Paul Oakenfield, pieces that all reflect the places Vincent wreaks havoc upon.
After everything's been said and done, James Newton Howard's music only takes about the remaining 7 minutes of space on this soundtrack. It's definitively not a lot, but like said, I don't think Collateral offers much more music that isn't featured on this soundtrack. It's only in the finale of the film that the movie suddenly turns into a thriller, and then nothing but filmmusic can compensate for this. So considering the hunt is on, James Newton Howard concentrates more on the rhythmic chase than on symphonic harmony. In "Max Steals Briefcase" the percussion fuels the electric guitars that supports Max' chase, all the while an orchestra actually adds unfelt thrill to "Vincent Hops Train", which is an absolute crowd pleaser inside the movie itself. James Newton Howard's rocking "Finale" actually belongs after Pinto's requiem, and not before it.
All in all Collateral was never going to be an award winning soundtrack, and the few musical score tracks of James Newton Howard are not the reason why someone would think on buying this soundtrack. No you have to consider that Michael Mann had already a plan with Collateral before the composers stepped on board. The actual musical selections show aplenty which direction the director was going for. Because where Max and Vincent stepped in, so did the viewer. And then a jazz café, a dance club or a subway train had to be musically approachable through any sound necessary. In the end it makes for a diverse listening experience all right.
Tracklisting
1. Briefcase * (2.08)
2. The Seed: The Roots featuring Cody Chesnutt (4.13)
3. Hands of Time: Groove Armada (4.20)
4. Güero Canelo: Calexico (3.00)
5. Rollin' Crumblin * (2.22)
6. Max Steals Briefcase (1.48)
7. Destino de Abril: Green Car Motel (5.15)
8. Shadow on the Sun: Audioslave (5.44)
9. Island Limos (1.34)
10. Spanish Key: Miles Davis (2.26)
11. Air: Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion (5.47)
12. Ready Steady Go: Paul Oakenfold (4.49)
13. Car Crash ** (2.20)
14. Vincent Hops Train (2.02)
15. Finale (2.18)
16. Requiem ** (1.56) Excellent track
* Additional material by Tom Rothrock
** Additional material by Antonio Pinto
Total Length: 52.03