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FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Commando (James Horner)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you are attempting to maintain a complete James Horner
collection and dauntlessly tolerate his early rhythmic action style
pounded on electronic pads and steel drums.
Avoid it... if you expect to hear a superior, orchestral paramilitary superhero score along the lines of Predator or Rambo, because there is some tongue-in-cheek disregard at work in Commando's cheesy music.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Commando: (James Horner) By 1985, famed one-liner
machine 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 produced 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 comedic action 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
ridiculous 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 as 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 latter
two nominated for Grammy and/or Academy Awards.
Despite using 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 an equivalent level of quality that suggests that he may have had his tongue lodged in his cheek when approaching the project's comedic attitude. 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 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, respectively), 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, featuring no real identity outside of their consistent application and a catchy two-note bass motif on low brass to nail down some semblance of dramatic weight. Aside from a notable performance of a lyrical theme in the score's opening moments by the strings of an orchestra to represent the father/daughter relationship in the film (repeated in the finale of the Varèse album), Horner's work is one long collection of unabashed, hybrid calypso and urban action, with badly dated, 80's-styled 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 the score might actually be an interesting listening experience. Only a few cues differ from Horner's dominant tone and structures for Commando; "Surprise" (as edited together on the Varèse album), 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 series of cues forming the final assault, running almost 14 minutes long, is a force to be reckoned with, distorting the two-note brass motif under the usual, slapping calypso meanderings. Out of place are the performances of Horner's usual shakuhachi flute (already established in 1985 as a favorite for the composer), an equally curious ethnic choice of instrumentation for the project. Overall, Commando is 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 nearly all substantial material from the relatively short score on a 3,000-copy product that sold out within a few years and became a top collectible. Answering continued demand, La-La Land Records expanded and remastered the score in 2011, splitting its cues into their natural form and adding one rejected cue (the insufferable pre-title sequence) and three alternates (which will only appeal to extreme enthusiasts of the score). More importantly, however, is finally the inclusion of the end credits song "Someday, Somehow, Someone's Gotta Pay" (otherwise known as "We Fight For Love") by Power Station, a piece of the Commando puzzle that has always remained elusive on CD through the years. In many ways, this rather straight-forward mid-80's rock song is more palatable than Horner's score. The La-La Land product stretches its presentation to just over an hour, and with renewed availability and marginally improved sound quality, it astoundingly sold out within a matter of days. The label re-issued the same contents in 2015 on another 2,000-copy pressing, but pause before spending big bucks on any of the limited albums. 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. **
TRACK LISTINGS:
2003 Varèse Album:
Total Time: 43:27
2011/2015 La-La Land Albums: Total Time: 61:36
NOTES & QUOTES:
The inserts of all the albums include detailed information about the score and film.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Commando are Copyright © 2003, 2011, 2015, Varèse Sarabande, La-La Land Records, La-La Land Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 12/13/03 and last updated 8/16/15. |
