Unbreakable
James Newton Howard
" Are you ready for the truth? James Newton Howard is ... Unbreakable "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Probably THE most underrated gem of director M. Night Shyamalan is the movie Unbreakable, starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie centers on 2 people, one who is born to be practically invincible while the other is completely the opposite. When a train crash convinces the one of the other person's unique ability, it is up to them both to figure out what their purpose in life really is.
From the moment Unbreakable opens to the final scene and dialogue sequence, Unbreakable is a pure artistic treasure that once again shows why director Shyamalan is still beloved by most of his die hard fans. Whether or not you saw a couple of crappy movies from him to this date, there is no denying that this specific movie houses an incredible cast, look, feel and sound. And of course along the way we discovered what James Newton Howard is so beloved for. After all, it was he who partially made us aware that collaborations between director and composer become better over the years.
Unbreakable starts with the movie's main idea, a rising theme covering a building beat and a threatening outcome. Keen to know that this opening track is partially the realization of David's powers. This track however is more a compilation piece as it briefly hints David's heroic theme at the end through a noble horn fanfare. The other character Elijah gets a much more fragile sound through soft strings and solo piano in "Reflection of Elijah". A cello solo combines this theme with David's theme in "Goodnight". The only frightening encounter (with David's theme) lies in "Blindsided" all before its lovely piano version returns in "Carrying Audrey".
David's theme gets another reprisal in "Weightlifting", but much more meaningful as his son Joseph wants to find out what his father is really made off. That can't be said about the faint reprisals in "Hieroglyphics". But his theme gets new profound meaning once we finally discover who he really is. In "The Wreck" it becomes an emotional stirring encore to an already emotional main theme performance. But that is only the second highlight of this performance, because its crowning achievement lies in "The Orange Man" where both David's theme as the main theme get their biggest performance of all.
The main theme itself returns powerfully in "Unbreakable", this time only longer than we've heard it in the opening track. But its best performance lies in "Mr. Glass / End Title", where it signs off with the indestructible sound of the choir (alongside Elijah's threatening sound and David's stirring wreck version).
Many people fell in love with James Newton Howard once they started discovering M. Night Shyamalan's movies and the accompanying scores of the composer. Others knew what this man could already do before all that hoopla. Either way it is never too late to acknowledge that James Newton Howard is simply one of the greatest composers of his generation. And Unbreakable is but one of the many unbreakable examples that we can find of him today. Now are you ready for the truth? See the movie, experience the brilliance of it, and enrich yourself after that with this great soundtrack.
I think this is where we shake hands ...
Tracklisting
1. Visions (5.57)
2. Reflection of Elijah (4.08)
3. Weightlifting (3.43)
4. Hieroglyphics (2.01)
5. Falling Down (2.27)
6. Unbreakable (3.23) Excellent track
7. Goodnight (2.25)
8. The Wreck (3.45) Excellent track
9. Second Date (1.31)
10. School Nurse (1.22)
11. Blindsided (1.55)
12. The Orange Man (2.29) Excellent track
13. Carrying Audrey (2.36)
14. Mr. Glass / End Title (7.40) Excellent track
Total Length: 45.31
From the moment Unbreakable opens to the final scene and dialogue sequence, Unbreakable is a pure artistic treasure that once again shows why director Shyamalan is still beloved by most of his die hard fans. Whether or not you saw a couple of crappy movies from him to this date, there is no denying that this specific movie houses an incredible cast, look, feel and sound. And of course along the way we discovered what James Newton Howard is so beloved for. After all, it was he who partially made us aware that collaborations between director and composer become better over the years.
Unbreakable starts with the movie's main idea, a rising theme covering a building beat and a threatening outcome. Keen to know that this opening track is partially the realization of David's powers. This track however is more a compilation piece as it briefly hints David's heroic theme at the end through a noble horn fanfare. The other character Elijah gets a much more fragile sound through soft strings and solo piano in "Reflection of Elijah". A cello solo combines this theme with David's theme in "Goodnight". The only frightening encounter (with David's theme) lies in "Blindsided" all before its lovely piano version returns in "Carrying Audrey".
David's theme gets another reprisal in "Weightlifting", but much more meaningful as his son Joseph wants to find out what his father is really made off. That can't be said about the faint reprisals in "Hieroglyphics". But his theme gets new profound meaning once we finally discover who he really is. In "The Wreck" it becomes an emotional stirring encore to an already emotional main theme performance. But that is only the second highlight of this performance, because its crowning achievement lies in "The Orange Man" where both David's theme as the main theme get their biggest performance of all.
The main theme itself returns powerfully in "Unbreakable", this time only longer than we've heard it in the opening track. But its best performance lies in "Mr. Glass / End Title", where it signs off with the indestructible sound of the choir (alongside Elijah's threatening sound and David's stirring wreck version).
Many people fell in love with James Newton Howard once they started discovering M. Night Shyamalan's movies and the accompanying scores of the composer. Others knew what this man could already do before all that hoopla. Either way it is never too late to acknowledge that James Newton Howard is simply one of the greatest composers of his generation. And Unbreakable is but one of the many unbreakable examples that we can find of him today. Now are you ready for the truth? See the movie, experience the brilliance of it, and enrich yourself after that with this great soundtrack.
I think this is where we shake hands ...
Tracklisting
1. Visions (5.57)
2. Reflection of Elijah (4.08)
3. Weightlifting (3.43)
4. Hieroglyphics (2.01)
5. Falling Down (2.27)
6. Unbreakable (3.23) Excellent track
7. Goodnight (2.25)
8. The Wreck (3.45) Excellent track
9. Second Date (1.31)
10. School Nurse (1.22)
11. Blindsided (1.55)
12. The Orange Man (2.29) Excellent track
13. Carrying Audrey (2.36)
14. Mr. Glass / End Title (7.40) Excellent track
Total Length: 45.31