Enemy of the State
Trevor Rabin and Harry Gregson-Williams
" Trevor and Harry create a decent and effective score "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
There are movies, and then there are Scott movies. For most of the time, that last name is enough to get a successful product. So too it was for Tony Scott when he used the electronic tools against the people, unleashing a man hunt in Washington so that the NSA can get their hands on what they trying to hide in the first place. Starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman in an unlikely yet entertaining combination, the movie's typical Tony Scott material. It has chases, fast moving cameras and an electronic background score of Trevor Rabin and Harry Gregson-Williams. Today Harry's material gets gun downed from the get go, but somehow this album works (albeit way too long).
The key ticket that keeps it from that fate is a nice catchy main theme. It is far from classy but it works, and it sticks in the mind. It opens the album in "Main Titles" and gets a wonderful moment during "Enemy of the State Main Theme", creating obviously the biggest impact of all the tracks. But it appears as well throughout the action cues, and Rabin and Gregson-Williams make sure it doesn't sound like a fool during those moments. Especially in track 15 it becomes one of the coolest moments on the CD.
Background music and suspense cues are scattered throughout the 53 minute listen. Most of the time they are aided by a whoosh of SFX or synthesizer beats that heighten the electronic paranoia easily enough. "Brill and Dean Meet" shows this cleverly by constantly underscoring the bugs and camera's that try to zoom in on Brill's face while "Final Confrontation" only briefly explodes near the end when the inevitable gunfight explodes, unleashing a potent main theme version.
And then there's the action music. "Hotel Chase Part 2" and "Zavitz Chase Part 1" go a loud way by stating the obvious. This is not sophisticated action music, nor it is terribly exciting. But it gets the job done, pounding its way with incomplete main theme statements. But when it comes down to the best of Enemy of the State's action music, you'll have to listen to "Coal Yard Part 2". Stating the main theme at its finest and centering it around a cool action rhythm, it is definitely the most enjoyable piece of action music you'll find on this CD.
Take it from me, Enemy of the State is fairly average, but it gets the job done. It has a cool and easy likeable main theme that sticks easily enough in the mind for some time (an accomplishment nowadays), it has decent but effective action music that supports the film better than the CD, and it has Trevor Rabin and Harry Gregson-Williams working together again without making it memorable. And if you know you're getting just that, Enemy of the State works during most of the time.
Tracklisting
1. Main Titles (1.58)
2. Enemy of the State Main Theme (2.53)
3. Brill's Theme (3.28)
4. The Ferry (1.16)
5. Hotel Chase Part 2 (3.45)
6. Zavitz Chase Part 1 (2.02)
7. NSA Research (2.35)
8. Brill and Dean Meet (4.12)
9. Free Ferry (0.37)
10. Nanny Drive (1.32)
11. Final Confrontation (8.43)
12. Coal Yard Part 1 (3.40)
13. Face to Face (3.09)
14. The Tunnel Part 1 (1.55)
15. Coal Yard Part 2 (4.53)
16. Rachel's Found Dead (5.17)
17. Wish You Were Here (1.59)
Total Length: 54.12
The key ticket that keeps it from that fate is a nice catchy main theme. It is far from classy but it works, and it sticks in the mind. It opens the album in "Main Titles" and gets a wonderful moment during "Enemy of the State Main Theme", creating obviously the biggest impact of all the tracks. But it appears as well throughout the action cues, and Rabin and Gregson-Williams make sure it doesn't sound like a fool during those moments. Especially in track 15 it becomes one of the coolest moments on the CD.
Background music and suspense cues are scattered throughout the 53 minute listen. Most of the time they are aided by a whoosh of SFX or synthesizer beats that heighten the electronic paranoia easily enough. "Brill and Dean Meet" shows this cleverly by constantly underscoring the bugs and camera's that try to zoom in on Brill's face while "Final Confrontation" only briefly explodes near the end when the inevitable gunfight explodes, unleashing a potent main theme version.
And then there's the action music. "Hotel Chase Part 2" and "Zavitz Chase Part 1" go a loud way by stating the obvious. This is not sophisticated action music, nor it is terribly exciting. But it gets the job done, pounding its way with incomplete main theme statements. But when it comes down to the best of Enemy of the State's action music, you'll have to listen to "Coal Yard Part 2". Stating the main theme at its finest and centering it around a cool action rhythm, it is definitely the most enjoyable piece of action music you'll find on this CD.
Take it from me, Enemy of the State is fairly average, but it gets the job done. It has a cool and easy likeable main theme that sticks easily enough in the mind for some time (an accomplishment nowadays), it has decent but effective action music that supports the film better than the CD, and it has Trevor Rabin and Harry Gregson-Williams working together again without making it memorable. And if you know you're getting just that, Enemy of the State works during most of the time.
Tracklisting
1. Main Titles (1.58)
2. Enemy of the State Main Theme (2.53)
3. Brill's Theme (3.28)
4. The Ferry (1.16)
5. Hotel Chase Part 2 (3.45)
6. Zavitz Chase Part 1 (2.02)
7. NSA Research (2.35)
8. Brill and Dean Meet (4.12)
9. Free Ferry (0.37)
10. Nanny Drive (1.32)
11. Final Confrontation (8.43)
12. Coal Yard Part 1 (3.40)
13. Face to Face (3.09)
14. The Tunnel Part 1 (1.55)
15. Coal Yard Part 2 (4.53)
16. Rachel's Found Dead (5.17)
17. Wish You Were Here (1.59)
Total Length: 54.12