Buy it... if you are maintaining a complete James Horner collection and don't mind his early rhythmic action style pounded on electronic pads and steel drums.

Avoid it... if you expect a superior, paramilitary superhero score along the lines of Predator or Rambo.

Horner

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 3.21 (in 76 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.44 (in 157,463 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.