Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you wish to hear one of the most surprisingly sophisticated action scores ever to accompany a John Woo film. Avoid it... if you require a taste of more transparent and dominating thematic development to accompany your stylish action romps. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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. 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. **** Track Listings:
Total Time: 48:08
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