Paycheck
John Powell
" Powell's paycheck is approved "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
If Face/Off was John Woo's breakthrough movie in the USA, then Paycheck will be considered his downfall. 2 Years after Windtalkers, it was Paycheck that exiled the king of slow motion back to his home country, to silence his critics with his masterful Red Cliff movies. The problem with Paycheck isn't the story, but the choice of lead actor. A bad choice considering Ben Affleck wasn't the same anymore after he acted in Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor and Martin Brest's Gigli. Luckily John Woo knew exactly which composer to hire, the man who aided his triumph in Face/Off, namely John Powell.
By now, everyone has heard a John Powell score. And by now, everyone will have at least one John Powell favorite. One of the proudest students to come out of the MV school, John Powell composed music for a wide variety of films, leaving a diverse musical voice behind. Paycheck will be considered to many as one of his most enjoyable yet.
The score opens with "Main Title" and introduces us immediately to the innovative string use and the main theme for the score. This appears again in "20 Items", yet here it is the pounding percussion that alerts us of imminent danger. And that danger explodes during "Wolfe Pack", a slick energized action track offering us especially at the end a wonderful brass statement.
The main theme continues to show its pride, more prominent in "Crystal Balls". However the main attention will be drawn to the duo pack "Hog Chase Part 1" and "Hog Chase Part 2", covering besides its drum loops and energized string work a bunch of big brassy statements, especially the second one will deliver the necessary kicks (with a nice main theme version to boot).
There are a couple of tracks that slow the entire experience a bit down, but in "Mirror Message" there is enough Bond material to warm yourself up again, "Imposter" will entertain you easily through the inspired piano playing, "Future Tense" will amuse you because it hops pleasantly on the rhythmic edge, and "Fait Accompli" is important because it finishes the cue with an enormous potent climax. Oh, and don't forget the Matrix horns in "The Finger" and the classical main theme in "Rachel's Party".
While Paycheck is extremely hot in its action statements, it is a very nice listening experience as well. It is extremely mature and nicely developed so that fans will experience it for what it is, an exciting action / thriller score. It is fair to say that Paycheck stands for one of Powell's most mature listens of all, and is a definite must to discover if you're curious for that definitive Powell edge.
Tracklisting
1. Main Title (3.10)
2. 20 Items (2.53)
3. Wolfe Pack (2.54) Excellent track
4. Crystal Balls (2.09)
5. Mirror Message (3.37)
6. Imposter (3.53)
7. Hog Chase Part 1 (3.13) Excellent track
8. Hog Chase Part 2 (4.04) Excellent track
9. I Don't Remember (1.28)
10. Tomorrow's Headlines (4.02)
11. Future Tense (7.14)
12. Fait Accompli (6.09) Excellent track
13. The Finger (0.33)
14. Rachel's Party (2.47)
Total Length: 48.08
By now, everyone has heard a John Powell score. And by now, everyone will have at least one John Powell favorite. One of the proudest students to come out of the MV school, John Powell composed music for a wide variety of films, leaving a diverse musical voice behind. Paycheck will be considered to many as one of his most enjoyable yet.
The score opens with "Main Title" and introduces us immediately to the innovative string use and the main theme for the score. This appears again in "20 Items", yet here it is the pounding percussion that alerts us of imminent danger. And that danger explodes during "Wolfe Pack", a slick energized action track offering us especially at the end a wonderful brass statement.
The main theme continues to show its pride, more prominent in "Crystal Balls". However the main attention will be drawn to the duo pack "Hog Chase Part 1" and "Hog Chase Part 2", covering besides its drum loops and energized string work a bunch of big brassy statements, especially the second one will deliver the necessary kicks (with a nice main theme version to boot).
There are a couple of tracks that slow the entire experience a bit down, but in "Mirror Message" there is enough Bond material to warm yourself up again, "Imposter" will entertain you easily through the inspired piano playing, "Future Tense" will amuse you because it hops pleasantly on the rhythmic edge, and "Fait Accompli" is important because it finishes the cue with an enormous potent climax. Oh, and don't forget the Matrix horns in "The Finger" and the classical main theme in "Rachel's Party".
While Paycheck is extremely hot in its action statements, it is a very nice listening experience as well. It is extremely mature and nicely developed so that fans will experience it for what it is, an exciting action / thriller score. It is fair to say that Paycheck stands for one of Powell's most mature listens of all, and is a definite must to discover if you're curious for that definitive Powell edge.
Tracklisting
1. Main Title (3.10)
2. 20 Items (2.53)
3. Wolfe Pack (2.54) Excellent track
4. Crystal Balls (2.09)
5. Mirror Message (3.37)
6. Imposter (3.53)
7. Hog Chase Part 1 (3.13) Excellent track
8. Hog Chase Part 2 (4.04) Excellent track
9. I Don't Remember (1.28)
10. Tomorrow's Headlines (4.02)
11. Future Tense (7.14)
12. Fait Accompli (6.09) Excellent track
13. The Finger (0.33)
14. Rachel's Party (2.47)
Total Length: 48.08