The Italian Job
John Powell
" A fun occasional spin worthy "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
The Italian Job of 2003 was a slick fast paced remake of The Italian Job of 1969. That movie featured a score by Quincy Jones. Now considering John Powell made such a daring introduction with The Bourne Identity, you could assume he would be hired for anything that remotely triggered the name chase in its title. And considering mini coopers are the only way to effectively spell out chase underground, Powell was brought on board. During that time, people were still trying to accept the Bourne sound. And it took most of us a bit longer to accept it. That's the reason why scores like The Italian Job are considered much more entertaining now than back then.
The Italian Job is a bit smoother than The Bourne Identity though, despite tackling more or less the same sound. The opening tracks dwell into the same moody strings and drum loops that The Bourne Identity delivered us, yet at the same time The Italian Job was already preparing us for the sound of Paycheck coming a year later ("The New Plan" is such an example), so it is definitely fascinating to see how much of Powell's voice developed over time. But a voice that always has been outstanding is his rhythmic action sound. The amazing trumpet blasts in "Boat Chase" are riveting, and "Tunnel Run" and "Chopper Chase / Face-Off" dare to infuse a little hard rock for the rocker amongst us.
And for the remaining time, Powell's not afraid to give you a groovy jazzy edge to kill the time with, making the score at least on that part deliciously entertaining. "Bitter Suite" is particularly fetching in its melancholy department.
The Italian Job is a fun entry in the John Powell category. It dares to infuse a lot of hard rock in the action tracks, and dares to forget the drum loops in the process. The occasional trumpet and percussion elements remain. But The Italian Job is not per se an action score, it doesn't have a lot of action moments for it to be called an action score. So Powell keeps us entertained with jazzy moments and Paycheck inspired elements instead. Thereby making The Italian Job entertaining for an occasional spin, nothing more, nothing less.
Tracklisting
1. Opening Titles (2.05)
2. The Italian Job (1.47)
3. Venice Gold Heist (4.39) Excellent track
4. Boat Chase (4.46)
5. Mourning John (1.04)
6. Planning the Heist (2.49)
7. Pawning the Gold (1.56)
8. Cable Chick (2.36)
9. Getting the Axe (2.16)
10. The Devil Inside (1.51)
11. Bitter Suite (1.59)
12. The New Plan (5.07)
13. Tunnel Run (2.13)
14. Chopper Chase/Face-Off (2.58)
15. Golden (4.05)
Total Length: 42.11
The Italian Job is a bit smoother than The Bourne Identity though, despite tackling more or less the same sound. The opening tracks dwell into the same moody strings and drum loops that The Bourne Identity delivered us, yet at the same time The Italian Job was already preparing us for the sound of Paycheck coming a year later ("The New Plan" is such an example), so it is definitely fascinating to see how much of Powell's voice developed over time. But a voice that always has been outstanding is his rhythmic action sound. The amazing trumpet blasts in "Boat Chase" are riveting, and "Tunnel Run" and "Chopper Chase / Face-Off" dare to infuse a little hard rock for the rocker amongst us.
And for the remaining time, Powell's not afraid to give you a groovy jazzy edge to kill the time with, making the score at least on that part deliciously entertaining. "Bitter Suite" is particularly fetching in its melancholy department.
The Italian Job is a fun entry in the John Powell category. It dares to infuse a lot of hard rock in the action tracks, and dares to forget the drum loops in the process. The occasional trumpet and percussion elements remain. But The Italian Job is not per se an action score, it doesn't have a lot of action moments for it to be called an action score. So Powell keeps us entertained with jazzy moments and Paycheck inspired elements instead. Thereby making The Italian Job entertaining for an occasional spin, nothing more, nothing less.
Tracklisting
1. Opening Titles (2.05)
2. The Italian Job (1.47)
3. Venice Gold Heist (4.39) Excellent track
4. Boat Chase (4.46)
5. Mourning John (1.04)
6. Planning the Heist (2.49)
7. Pawning the Gold (1.56)
8. Cable Chick (2.36)
9. Getting the Axe (2.16)
10. The Devil Inside (1.51)
11. Bitter Suite (1.59)
12. The New Plan (5.07)
13. Tunnel Run (2.13)
14. Chopper Chase/Face-Off (2.58)
15. Golden (4.05)
Total Length: 42.11