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Composed, Conducted, and Produced by:
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Harry Gregson-Williams
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Performed by:
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The London Session Orchestra and Metro Voices
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Release Date:
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November 13th, 2001
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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| | Gregson-Williams | |
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Spy Game: (Harry Gregson-Williams) One of the more highly billed action
films of the late 2001 autumn season (that is, one that doesn't involve hobbits
or muggles), Tony Scott's Spy Game is a return to the style of film and
score that beckons memories of Crimson Tide and Enemy of the
State. The espionage thriller once again unites director Scott with a Media
Ventures genre of artist. Harry Gregson-Williams has, since The Rock in
1996, begun to build an impressive resume for himself. Often teaming up with
another electro-modern composer, Gregson-Williams' music ranges wildly from the
harshest of synthetic action scores such as The Replacement Killers to
the family oriented spunk often associated with Antz and Shrek.
The requirements of Spy Game would allow Gregson-Williams to explore
additional elements that lie between those previously established genres,
especially in the dramatic weight of the music that would be required for the
project. Because of the film melds heavy drama in exotic locations with
heart-pounding action/chase sequences, the score would have to reflect the best
of both worlds. Those who dislike Gregson-Williams' stereotypical electronic
scores would probably call it the "worst of both worlds," but before making such
a hasty judgment about Spy Game, you might want to give it a fair
listen.
Having only a mild interest in Gregson-Williams' often noisy action scores to
date, Spy Game wasn't particularly a score that was high on my list of
anticipation for the fall season. And although there are sequences on the score
that reaffirm my distaste of relentless synthestic rhythms, there are also
several surprisingly engaging and enjoyable cues as well. As to be expected,
there is about twenty minutes of eardrum-grinding pounding of electronics in
Spy Game, and this material is no more listenable for many people now
than it has been in scores past. But beyond those expected cues are a lengthy
collection of dramatic underscore and exotic beauty in theme that sets this
score apart from others for Gregson-Williams. He employs a host of specialty
instruments in his orchestral accompaniment to the synthesizers. Among the most
noticable use is the erhu, which may not be as evokative here as in, say,
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but it's a enjoyable touch when combined
with Gregson-Williams' hard-line Western thematic sense. A variety of solo vocal
performances is a treat not to be missed on this album. Along with a Western boy
soprano, a host of Middle Eastern, Chinese, and Vietnamese vocals are
intertwined with a Celtic harp and ethnic flutes to spice up an otherwise
typical array of electronics. With a percussion section rich with Middle Eastern
and Chinese instruments, Gregson-Williams produces a sound that is even more
ethnic in a modern sense than Beyond Rangoon or The Peacemaker
were for his mentor, Hans Zimmer. The mingling of so many different ethnic areas
enhances the element of espionage in the music, creating a tense, foreign, and
often enchanting mood.
I tip my hat to Gregson-Williams for his extensive experimentation and
implementation of these exotic elements. He has always had a touch for a
thematic congruity and simplicity that was kind to the ear, but those ideas of
his were often entrenched in the usually harsh electronics demanded by lower
budget projects. The Spy Game score still contains several tracks of
irritating chase music --the kind that takes techno pop rhythms far too
seriously. But even among these, tracks 1, 2, 14, and 15 contain rhythms that
lean more towards pop rather than electronica, and are easily integrated into
the flow of the surrounding cues. That great fifteenth track stands as strong
evidence towards establishing Gregson-Williams as a composer who can
successfully meld a pop rhythm and hints of harsh electronics with a lighter,
more orchestral base. If you can sift past the harsher deviations (and those
that especially perk up in the latter half of the album) from the heart of this
score, then you'll find half an hour (or more...) of impressively dramatic and
sensitive underscore. Gregson-Williams even throws in a few fully symphonic
bursts of theme that typically his scores with John Powell only offer. The
middle portion of the Decca Records album for Spy Game, from tracks 6 to
13, is a remarkable collection of ethnic theme and suspenseful orchestral
underscore that ranks highly in Gregson-Williams career, and convinced me that
Spy Game is an album to keep. Its generous length from Decca is not to be
overlooked, either. The final two tracks on the albums are remixes of
Gregson-Williams' motifs for the score, and they are unnecessary in that they
really don't deviate much from the original sound. On the whole, I originally
put this album into the player with expectations of the same old excess noise...
but by the second listen and a knowledge of where the few noisy tracks are, I
was hooked. A most pleasant surprise! ****
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Su-Chou Prison (5:00)
• 2. Muir Races to Work (3:32)
• 3. '...He's Been Arrested for Espionage.' (1:23)
• 4. Red Shirt (5:07)
• 5. Training Montage (2:34)
• 6. Berlin (2:18)
• 7. 'It's Not a Game' (2:34)
• 8. 'You're Going to Miss It' (9:15)
• 9. Beirut, A War Zone (3:20)
• 10. 'My Name is Tom' (2:41)
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• 11. All Hell Breaks Loose (6:19)
• 12. Explosion & Aftermath (2:50)
• 13. Parting Company (2:08)
• 14. Harker Tracks Muir (3:28)
• 15. The Long Night (1:46)
• 16. Muir's in the Hot Seat (5:08)
• 17. Back at Su-Chou Prison (2:18)
• 18. Operation Dinner Out (4:50)
• 19. Spies (Ryebot Remix) (2:16)
• 20. Dinner Out (Rothrock Remix) (2:38)
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Insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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