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Paycheck: (John Powell) The concept and execution of
Paycheck is consistent with both the stories of author Philip K. Dick and
the directing of John Woo. Seeming like a natural fit, Dick has penned popular
sci-fi stories (many of them in the short format) that have been adapted into
Minority Report and the cult classic
Bladerunner. From the modern
action genre of Hong Kong, Woo has kept the pulse pounding with films such as
Mission: Impossible 2 and
Face/Off. The concept of
Paycheck
is closer to the thrilling futuristic aspects of
Minority Report than
anything else, with Ben Affleck playing a brilliant scientist who does secretive
work for large corporations with the understanding that upon being paid, his
memory of the project would be erased. On his last five-year project, however,
his corporate employers erase his memory and then claim that he has forfeited his
massive payoff, and he has only 20 clues from his recent past (and some help from
Uma Thurman) to spur his own investigation while, of course, the corporation
attempts to kill him. Woo returned to the former Hans Zimmer collection of Media
Ventures-related composers (by now spread on their own and mixed up with legal
battles) and hired the capable John Powell to create a propulsive, futuristic
score for
Paycheck. Powell had spent the majority of the previous year
engaged in the genre of romantic comedies, including the laughable
Affleck/Jennifer Lopez bomb
Gigli. Woo's
Paycheck was released on
Christmas day, 2003 to a slightly better than tepid response, though the nail was
ironically driven into the film's coffin at roughly the same time as the
announced break-up of America's favorite, squeezable couple, Lopez and Affleck.
Powell's score was a welcomed change from the adequate, but not particularly
inspiring romance genre he sustained in 2003;
Paycheck reintroduces some
strong action material into an action style that was far more accessible than his
work for
The Italian Job and
The Bourne Identity during roughly the
same period. As to be expected,
Paycheck is a "race against time" kind of
score, rarely slowing down after the first cue to allow the listener to catch his
or her breath.
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Perhaps surprising to casual listeners of
Paycheck is the
remarkable level of orchestral depth to the music, especially when the atmosphere
could just as easily have been loaded up with synthesized bass and hard
electronic percussion (as in Powell's other mentioned works). Instead,
Paycheck is a score that takes a few moments to build its steam before
erupting into half an hour of stylish rhythms and brass similar to David Arnold's
music for the James Bond franchise. While suspenseful and slightly romantic
underscore begins to prevail late on the score's album, much of its running time
contains truly interesting orchestral action ideas. The ensemble consists of
mostly strings and brass, joined by the standard accompaniment of drums
(synthesized and real) and a piano. The latter instrument performs the somewhat
underdeveloped love theme for the film, although its three performances on the
album ("Mirror Message," "I Don't Remember," and the finale of "Fait Accompli")
offer very good contrast to the action cues. The electronic accompaniment often
sets the futuristic pacing in the score, one that interestingly stays rooted in
the present rather than the future of the science fiction genre. Its highlights
are easily the cues in which Powell lets rip with style in addition to orchestral
propulsion. The "Hog Chase Part 2" cue has all the makings of both a Bond score
and a few of the campy elements of Joel McNeely's
The Avengers, a work
that could come to mind several times when listening to
Paycheck. The
final cue, a string quartet variant on the title theme for "Rachel's Party," is
out of place, but not offensive by any means. That main thematic identity is
present throughout the score, but unfortunately it's not particularly memorable.
The most impressive aspect of Powell's work here is likely the simple fact that
the composer made a habit of providing strong scores for films that did not
deserve such sweat, toil, and talent. This issue was reinforced with
Gigli, and after the lack of the success expected of
Paycheck,
Powell's tendency to compose music better than its accompanying films was
becoming widely noticed. This problem would affect his career for many years to
come, restraining him from top flight dramatic assignments. As for
Paycheck specifically, the score's lack of transparent and dominating
thematic development is easily countered by such vibrant action cues as "Hog
Chase Part 2," which alone elevates this score beyond the usual level of
unsophisticated music you often hear in Woo's films.
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| Bias Check: | For John Powell reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating
is 3.05 (in 38 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.05
(in 42,939 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes a list of performers, but no extra information about
the score or film.
