SOUNDTRACK REVIEW: CAPTAIN PHILLIPS by HENRY JACKMAN



* * * *

It's time for a soundtrack review, which I intend to do weekly, and tonight I have chosen a score for a very good movie CAPTAIN PHILLIPS.

There are two approaches to soundtrack critique: one is how suitable, how well it works in a movie, and the second - is it a good standalone listening? I will always choose the latter, for when you buy a soundtrack, or borrow or whatever, you commit your time to listen to it, and you expect to listen to an ALBUM, not a supplement to something, which I believe a movie soundtrack never is. When done right, it becomes a character in a film and guides us through, manipulate us in a good way and makes us deeper involved in what is happening on screen.

Henry Jackman had grown on me over  the years with his fabulous work on XMEN: FIRST CLASS, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER and G.I. JOE: RETALIATION. He is one of the best action movie composer we know to date. But is CAPTAIN PHILLIPS an action movie? Or a better question - is an action movie score works well for a thriller drama based on real events?
In one reply yes, it does. The score to CAPTAIN PHILLIPS is one of the most innovative works Henry Jackman had done to date. Using Samali drum beats as the background he weaves in many unusual noises, such as footsteps, echoes and voices.  CAPTAIN PHILLIPS track often starts quietly, building up to a climax that is ticking like a clock - a sort of a time bomb. With its many nuances CAPTAIN PHILLIPS score is best listened with headphones on, this way you will not miss anything. From the playlist I will particularly recommend "Second Attack" and "Two In The Water", both equally imaginative and intense.

It doesn't require a great experience in music to tell that this work is a great step forward for Henry Jackman and a mix of artistic vision and pure action themes blends into a score that cannot be missed. As a movie CAPTAIN PHILLIPS is equally engaiging as it is draining. We simply have no emotions left to spare on the soundtrack. And maybe that why it makes such a great stand alone listening.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Door Lock (Korean Movie Review)

Image
8/10 The life of Kyung-min is a work-home-sleep routine and rarely varies. But out of nowhere unsettling incidents start creeping in. The door handle to her apartment turns in the middle of the night as if someone is trying to enter, repeatedly dialling the passcode of her door lock. Is it possible that someone enters her apartment when she is out at work or worse, when she is fast asleep? And how all this connected to the disappearance of a girl next door? Kyung-min will not rest until she finds out, even if it may cost her her life. DOOR LOCK is loosely based on a Spanish movie SLEEP TIGHT which was rather a drama than a thriller. By changing the setting to a cold faceless suburb of Seoul the movie takes us into the heart of an urban nightmare where it’s easy to disappear and no-one will come looking for you. Kyung-min is an unlikable protagonist who is suffering from multiple phobias and is even ready to break certain rules to flirt with her clients, but she develops strength
Read more

IFF MOVIE REVIEW; PARTLY CLOUDY WITH SUNNY SPELLS (TEMPO INSTABILE COM PROBABILI SCHIARITE)

Image
2 1/5 /5 Ermanno and Giacomo are two friends and partners in a small furniture business. As their finances are running dry threatening the closure of the factory an incredible thing occurs - they discover the the oil on their backyard. To put the oil on a production rails requires a significant investment of money and effort, and the two old friends go head to head when their opinions on what to do with the grand discovery differ. What will win, the honest stubbornness or practicality? There are films that are not intended for an international market and PARTLY CLOUDY is one of those films. Oriented mainly for the family viewing it includes animation sequences that are too unoriginal to attract younger viewers while the two middle aged men arguing over the oil does not make an intensive enough experience for an older audience either. Even the charisma of the ever popular  Luca Zingsretti in the role of Giacomo is somehow inefficient in this well written, but weakly sho
Read more

We'll End Up Together - Nous Finirons Ensemble (French Movie Review)

Image
10/10 Max has a sixtieth birthday coming up. The problem is he is broke, divorced and depressed. When a group of his best friends show up at his doorstep to help him celebrate, he reluctantly agrees to spend a few days with them, but won’t explain what’s going on in his personal life. When ones darkest moments come, will friendship conquer all? Seven years after the breakout success of the film Little White Lies (Les Petits Mouchoirs) comes the long anticipated sequel and it is worth the wait. The success of WE’LL END UP TOGETHER is not in its rather predictable plot, but the chemistry on screen, the characters that we recognise ourselves and our friends in, and the amazing warm atmosphere that makes one believe there’s no problem a good dinner with friends won’t sort out.  Written and directed by much loved French actor and director  Guillaume Canet this movie feels like a welcome return home to those who have seen the original and will also welcome new viewership - the film c
Read more