The Running Man
Harold Faltermeyer
" As Monty Python so once eloquently put it, RUN AWAY "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Ben Richards: Killian! I'll be back!
Damon Killian: Only in a rerun!
That is but one of the many funny oneliners people get when they put The Running Man in for another spin. A movie from 1987 starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Running Man remains a typical Arnie film, with enough comical jokes, over exaggerated characters and fun enough action pieces to bring you back to the game that's called The Runnig Man. Back in the 80's when music was simply considered to be cool, Harold Faltermeyer was one of the architects of the synthesizer period. And he was on the height of his career, after having scored the blockbusters Beverly Hills Cop 1 and 2, and Top Gun.
Considering I've seen the movie a couple of times now, I remain with my judgment that the score of Harold Faltermeyer is a perfect fit inside the movie itself. On disc however, the gloves are off.
The score opens with the main theme in "Intro / Bakersfield". The theme itself is nothing special but fits the profile well, and aids the movie tremendously easy when stated. It returns at the end of "Main Title / Fight Escape", "Medical Checkup", "Spare Dynamo" and perhaps the best of all in "Massacre Highlights" and "Revolution / End Credits".
The action music itself is another matter. The opening minutes of "Main Title / Fight Escape" doesn't do any of the music justice, "Buzzsaw / Richard's Fight" and "Buzzsaw Attack" adds electric guitar to an already gruesome sound design, and "Buzzsaw / Dynamo Attack" gives the beat a run for its money, making me wonder why I never noticed this dated score before. Luckily the beat in "Mick's Broadcast / Attack" brings back the fond memories of a Bevery Hills Cop cue, and works well inside the context as on disc.
The problem however lies when we receive the music for the stalkers themselves. While "Buzzsaw / Richard's Fight" wasn't already a promising highlight, some tracks deliver you a reason to actually kill yourself. Because don't get me started when I have to mention that Richard Wagner's music of Ride of the Valkyries gets a synthesized version for the Christmas tree character in "Valkyrie", while "Fireball Intro" has ?music? I even can't begin to describe.
The gong in "Sub-Zero Intro" gives you the ultimate example of why parents used to crush that synthesizer once with a hammer, or even with a cat. Sadly for the parents, crushing it once wasn't enough because "Sub-Zero" and "Fireball Chase" continues to violate the physics of music.
All in all, it remains a question why on earth this music functions so well inside the movie, and fails so miserably out of the film. I never considered The Running Man to be a good score, but it was a decent one inside the context. Here without all the loud SFX and the loud cheers of the audience, you notice once and for all how poorly Faltermeyer's music truly sounds like. The theme and occasional suspense music continues to stay on its own 2 feet, but the stalkers musical intros and action material have something what I can't even begin to describe. But I know that it ain't music.
Damon Killian: What's the matter? Steroids make you deaf?
Nope, I think it was something else.
Tracklisting
1. Intro / Bakersfield (2.03)
2. Main Title / Fight Escape (3.44)
3. Buzzsaw / Richard's Fight (1.50)
4. Captain Freedom's Workout (2.27)
5. Mick's Broadcast / Attack (5.04)
6. Valkyrie (2.36)
7. Buzzsaw Attack (1.52)
8. Medical Checkup (2.22)
9. Fireball Intro (1.18)
10. Buzzsaw / Dynamo Attack (1.50)
11. Massacre Highlights (1.08)
12. Sub-Zero Intro (2.01)
13. Sub-Zero (3.50)
14. Fireball Chase (2.03)
15. Spare Dynamo (2.20)
16. Weiss Discovers / Amber's Launch (2.27)
17. Revolution / End Credits (1.58)
Total Length: 41.24
Damon Killian: Only in a rerun!
That is but one of the many funny oneliners people get when they put The Running Man in for another spin. A movie from 1987 starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Running Man remains a typical Arnie film, with enough comical jokes, over exaggerated characters and fun enough action pieces to bring you back to the game that's called The Runnig Man. Back in the 80's when music was simply considered to be cool, Harold Faltermeyer was one of the architects of the synthesizer period. And he was on the height of his career, after having scored the blockbusters Beverly Hills Cop 1 and 2, and Top Gun.
Considering I've seen the movie a couple of times now, I remain with my judgment that the score of Harold Faltermeyer is a perfect fit inside the movie itself. On disc however, the gloves are off.
The score opens with the main theme in "Intro / Bakersfield". The theme itself is nothing special but fits the profile well, and aids the movie tremendously easy when stated. It returns at the end of "Main Title / Fight Escape", "Medical Checkup", "Spare Dynamo" and perhaps the best of all in "Massacre Highlights" and "Revolution / End Credits".
The action music itself is another matter. The opening minutes of "Main Title / Fight Escape" doesn't do any of the music justice, "Buzzsaw / Richard's Fight" and "Buzzsaw Attack" adds electric guitar to an already gruesome sound design, and "Buzzsaw / Dynamo Attack" gives the beat a run for its money, making me wonder why I never noticed this dated score before. Luckily the beat in "Mick's Broadcast / Attack" brings back the fond memories of a Bevery Hills Cop cue, and works well inside the context as on disc.
The problem however lies when we receive the music for the stalkers themselves. While "Buzzsaw / Richard's Fight" wasn't already a promising highlight, some tracks deliver you a reason to actually kill yourself. Because don't get me started when I have to mention that Richard Wagner's music of Ride of the Valkyries gets a synthesized version for the Christmas tree character in "Valkyrie", while "Fireball Intro" has ?music? I even can't begin to describe.
The gong in "Sub-Zero Intro" gives you the ultimate example of why parents used to crush that synthesizer once with a hammer, or even with a cat. Sadly for the parents, crushing it once wasn't enough because "Sub-Zero" and "Fireball Chase" continues to violate the physics of music.
All in all, it remains a question why on earth this music functions so well inside the movie, and fails so miserably out of the film. I never considered The Running Man to be a good score, but it was a decent one inside the context. Here without all the loud SFX and the loud cheers of the audience, you notice once and for all how poorly Faltermeyer's music truly sounds like. The theme and occasional suspense music continues to stay on its own 2 feet, but the stalkers musical intros and action material have something what I can't even begin to describe. But I know that it ain't music.
Damon Killian: What's the matter? Steroids make you deaf?
Nope, I think it was something else.
Tracklisting
1. Intro / Bakersfield (2.03)
2. Main Title / Fight Escape (3.44)
3. Buzzsaw / Richard's Fight (1.50)
4. Captain Freedom's Workout (2.27)
5. Mick's Broadcast / Attack (5.04)
6. Valkyrie (2.36)
7. Buzzsaw Attack (1.52)
8. Medical Checkup (2.22)
9. Fireball Intro (1.18)
10. Buzzsaw / Dynamo Attack (1.50)
11. Massacre Highlights (1.08)
12. Sub-Zero Intro (2.01)
13. Sub-Zero (3.50)
14. Fireball Chase (2.03)
15. Spare Dynamo (2.20)
16. Weiss Discovers / Amber's Launch (2.27)
17. Revolution / End Credits (1.58)
Total Length: 41.24