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Commando: (James Horner) By 1985, Arnold Schwarzenegger was
determined to take on an acting roll in which he could not only kick butt and
flex his freakish muscles, but also show a softer side not witnessed in
The
Terminator or
Conan the Barbarian and its sequel. It marked the
beginning of the series of projects that Joel Silver would produce for 20th
Century Fox, leading to great success in the
Predator and
Die Hard
franchises. Thus, for the actors (including Alyssa Milano as the daughter of
Schwarzenegger's character, John Matrix), the studio, the producer, and even the
composer,
Commando was an important stepping stone on the path to bigger
and better things. This isn't to say that
Commando itself was a classic;
in fact, despite the larger than usual displays of explosions and exotic locales
(as well as impressive grosses at the time of its debut, except in Scandinavia,
where the film was banned outright), the film is nothing more than another
simplistic paramilitaristic joy ride, an excuse to show the same building
exploding nine different times from nine different angles. Because it was clearly
a formula film, even down to its comfort level with dumb dialogue,
two-dimensional characters, and 70's-era camera placements and editing, it
basically fit into the same category as the
Predator and
Rambo
series. But unless you can get into the mood of that late-night cable television
style of goodguy versus badguy assaults with huge caches of weapons, then
Commando borders on the realm of silly and stupid. Certainly, it was never
as good that the other two military superhero series mentioned above. Composer
James Horner was at a time in his career when he was just beginning to show that
he was in the mainstream to stay. He had garnered considerable attention for his
two
Star Trek scores, and his output in 1985 and 1986, with
Commando sandwiched in the middle, would confirm Horner's placement with
Cocoon,
An American Tail, and
Aliens, the last of which
nominated for an Academy Award. Despite using these mainstream films to
accelerate his career rise, Horner was still earning his salary composing for
some wretchedly hideous films as well. Arguably,
Commando could be
considered one of them, and Horner's score reflects the same quality. For many
listeners, the music simply formed a basic, stylistic bridge between
48
HRS. and
Red Heat, neither of which considered among Horner's better
half of achievements by practically any film score collector.
If you're looking for military superhero music of the quality of
Predator and
Rambo (exemplary offerings by Alan Silvestri and Jerry
Goldsmith), then be forewarned that
Commando is nowhere close to being in
the same league. Horner's score is a relentless, rather unintelligent collection
of synthetic drum pads and rhythmic sound effects that monotonously bumble along
in the background of
Commando, with no real identity outside of their
consistent application and a catchy two-note bass motif to nail down some
semblance of dramatic weight. Aside from two performances of a love theme by the
strings of an orchestra, Horner's score is one long collection of unabashed,
hybrid Caribbean and urban action, with badly dated 80's drum pads, steel drums,
electric guitars, keyboards, and a tired sax motif mixed into half a dozen cues
for a snazzy flair of style. The Caribbean feel of the score isn't really that
appropriate for the Latin American location of the film, but a project like this
doesn't demand a brain. The majority of the duties in
Commando is shared
by the pads, steel drums, keyboards, and synthetic rhythms. The last part
consists of tingling rhythmic effects meant to crudely accentuate the slick
weaponry in the film (comically pronounced "Uuuuuzi" by the film's star). If
Horner had varied these rhythms to a greater degree from cue to cue, then
Commando might actually be an interesting listening experience. But only a
few cues differ from the norm; "Surprise," by far the highlight of the score with
its broad strokes of orchestral bass under the action, features some intentional
distortion (slurring of brass in the editing room, mainly) that places the score
in its era. The "Matrix Breaks In" cue has some vocal humming and a much needed
respite from the hard rhythms. The final cue, at 14 minutes long, is a force to
be reckoned with, distorting the two-note brass motif that under the usual,
slapping Caribbean meanderings. Out of place are the performances of Horner's
usual shakuhachi flute (already established in 1985 by Horner), an equally
curious ethnic choice of instrument for the project. The love theme, mainly for
the daughter's character, is heard only at the beginning and end of the film,
representing the sole moments when the small orchestra exists apart from the
electronics. Overall,
Commando is a both a reprise of
48 HRS. and a
preview of
Red Heat, and it stands as a rather uninspiring and tedious
listening experience on its own. In 2003, after snippets of the score had
appeared on bootlegs for years, the Varèse Sarabande CD Club released the
relatively short score in full. Horner's pop-influenced, contemporary entries of
the 1980's had a tendency to challenge one's patience, especially with his
dramatic scores maturing at such an outstanding pace, and
Commando is thus
a score to skip.
**
| Bias Check: | For James Horner reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating
is 3.12 (in 89 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.33
(in 158,746 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes detailed information about the score and film.
