Buy it... only if you appreciated the functionality of the score in the film, because it has few attributes to please the majority of mainstream Danny Elfman collectors on album.

Avoid it... if you expect any sense of energy, power, imagination, intrigue, and a certain intellectual deviousness to appropriately accompany the tones of suspense in a Hannibal Lecter film.

Elfman

Red Dragon: (Danny Elfman) If ever there was a totally unnecessary franchise film that existed solely for the purpose of studio pocketbooks, it would be Red Dragon. After 1991's Silence of the Lambs and 2001's Hannibal, Universal (the same studio that had just dragged the concept of The Mummy through another unnecessary sequel) opted to remake Michael Mann's 1986 film Manhunter for the expressed purpose of wrapping up the saga of Hannibal Lecter films with Anthony Hopkins delivering the dialogue and slithering his tongue in a nicely rounded trilogy. Technically, the story of Red Dragon is a prequel to the other two, existing when Lecter is still captured and in verbal sparring with the man who captured him. It is with his help that an all-star cast is spun into action and seeking to hunt down another maniacal killer on the loose. Unfortunately, that case could not salvage a poorly paced script and terribly shot direction by Brett Ratner, a man who exposed himself to be far more appropriate for his Rush Hour endeavors. With many audiences and critics still harboring positive memories of Manhunter, it isn't surprising that Red Dragon, buried by the studio in an early autumn debut, received a distinctly cold reception. Perhaps the public was finally exhausted of the sight of Hopkins' Lecter on billboards and buses. Musically speaking, Red Dragon represented yet another different composer in the series. Hans Zimmer's Hannibal proved (along with From Hell in 2001) that a horror film (and more specifically, a Lecter-related film) can benefit from an engaging and interesting score. The album for Hannibal was a strong seller out of the gates, partly due to Zimmer and Klaus Badelt's haunting score and partly due to the quotes by Hopkins throughout its contents (a choice by the label that irritated a few Zimmer die-hards, but seemed to please the mass population of movie-goers). Danny Elfman, at the time an (if not the) icon of the darker side of contemporary film music, is brought in to score Red Dragon. At least Ratner didn't hire regular collaborator Lalo Schifrin for this one (though Schifrin does make a cameo in the film).

The horror scores by Elfman have waffled greatly in his career. They have varied from the grossly dramatic orchestral majesty of his early career (in the Nightbreed and Darkman era) to the more mature gothic style of Sleepy Hollow and, occasionally, the minimally orchestral and electronic sorts. For a project like Red Dragon, you couldn't be entirely sure what Elfman would produce, especially after the rousing performance he incited for Spider-Man the previous summer. Unfortunately, what Elfman chose for Red Dragon was perhaps the worst approach he could have taken: conservatively bland. Basically sufficient but uninteresting aside from its picture, Red Dragon's music is surprising in its lack of genuine style or originality. Like the film, Elfman's music is all process and no engagement (a problem that also hindered Men in Black II that year). It creates a basic atmosphere that functions well enough for the picture but really doesn't assist in creating the palpable tension that had existed prior in the franchise. He has sold short the fright and completely ignored the sick romanticism that lures you to Lecter's intellect. There is no deliciously dark take on the cat and mouse game, nor is there any significant sonic aura to convince you that any psychological game is being played at all. When Elfman does strike with a burst of flair, the result is both cheap and owing to cliche. The original assumption had been that if the score were subpar, it would be because Elfman used a rock score or other unconventional genre (as had been the case with Manhunter). Instead, Elfman's narrow approach towards Red Dragon yields a very basic, orchestral and minimally electronic score with two or three undermixed choral accompaniments. The occasional experimental tones of interest, such as the deep metallic rhythm-setter in "Main Titles," are underwhelming. Tense high strings (reminiscent of Batman Returns), crashes of the brass, and tight rhythms on the bass strings are the main event for nearly every cue. There is very little instrumental experimentation in the score, and only hints of Elfman's typical brooding style distinguishes this score from a run of the mill B-rate effort.

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While Elfman does poke around with a two-phrase theme (which owes much to Craig Armstrong's The Bone Collector), the idea is weak and underdeveloped. This and other motifs are barely evident in cues throughout the score, usually yielding to mundane dissonance (especially in the film's second half). Even the opening music for the presentation of studio logos lacks the kind of intrigue, suspense, or enthusiasm to suck you in. In fact, for a horror score, there's nothing remotely frightening about this music. It's atmospheric by nature, and that choice seems odd for a Lecter genre in which a pointed comment by Lecter himself can trigger a spiked orchestral response. Zimmer proved with Hannibal that the franchise could be scored with an intense, artistically beautiful score and still be effectively frightening. Elfman accomplishes nothing in Red Dragon to distinguish the film's tone, returning instead to a far more generic and old school approach of horror film scoring. It had been discussed that Elfman may have been reaching for inspiration in the rich depths of Bernard Herrmann's style, but if that's the case, then he proves that his 1998 re-working of Psycho was insufficient training. Overall, it's difficult to quantify the reasons why Red Dragon fails to grasp the personality of the series. The orchestra's performance lacks energy and power, and it's then mixed at such a remote distance that many of the subtle hints of suspense are missed. Nervousness, fright, and a certain intellectual deviousness are required for any score involving a Lecter film, and Elfman especially failed on the last point. Unlike Lecter, there is nothing clever or unnerving about the Red Dragon's music, and given Elfman's incredible talent for creativity, the score's bland attitude is surprising and very disappointing. The album contains none of the devilish quotes or supporting classical tracks as Hannibal, but it once again is an enhanced CD with interviews of Elfman, Ratner, and Hopkins included for your enjoyment. Red Dragon is an astonishingly unimaginative and uninspired score for it's genre, and it remains one of Elfman's most curious and underachieving scores of the decade. **   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

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