Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,201
Written 6/23/03, Revised 4/1/09
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Buy it... if you value Mark Isham's ability to deliver a sincere tone in a
restrained orchestral environment for a military-related topic.
Avoid it... if you, for some reason, did not embrace Isham's
character-driven style for A River Runs Through It or Fly Away
Home.
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Men of Honor: (Mark Isham) The historically accurate story
of an American Navy diver and his difficult and rebellious commanding officer,
Men of Honor was a reasonably successful venture of the year 2000. The
true to life tale is an interesting one, a glimpse into issues of adversity and
discipline in a challenging military environment. With determination at heart,
the story's central character overcomes enormous pressures, from the difficulty
of the job and from cultural mores, and becomes an acknowledged and accomplished
enlisted leader in the Navy. The production relied heavily on its performances
from leads Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Robert De Niro, though the project would be
destined to become a footnote in their careers. The same could be said of the
project's status for composer Mark Isham, who was best known at the time (and
still is, for most listeners) for his light-footed scores accompanying such
pleasant films as A River Runs Through It, Fly Away Home, and At
First Sight. After providing a fan favorite score for October Sky the
previous year, Isham dabbled in greater depth with the action-drama genre of
military connotations with Rules of Engagement. Despite the solo trumpet
performances he is so well known for, Rules of Engagement was a critical
and popular disappointment for Isham, and some critics questioned the composer's
ability to provide adequate musical weight of significant scope for a dramatic
film that was driven by powerful action scenes. Indeed, Men of Honor would
require a comparatively high number of action cues, and Isham needed to shed the
flat and uninspiring sound of his action music from the previous part of the year
in order to adequately parallel the Navy diver's determination to succeed.
Fortunately for the film and the composer's collectors, Isham's music for Men
of Honor is a considerable triumph, and its release on CD would surprisingly
net the composer part of a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Film Soundtrack
Album" that year.
When considered alongside his work for
Rules of
Engagement, Isham succeeds to a much greater extent in capturing the stature
of military spirit in
Men of Honor. Through the constant employment of
noble brass and an alternation between snare and timpani, Isham instills a
serious tone in the score. That personality becomes victorious in its thematic
expressions as the score progresses and the primary character realizes his fears
and aspirations. The title theme is more rambunctious and spirited than many of
Isham's more slowly developing, melodic and pleasant themes (though some
listeners may still find it to be a tad anonymous in progression). Several layers
of brass often perform simultaneously, producing an effect that leaves the
listener with the same feel-good sensation as James Horner's
Apollo 13. A
significant number of accelerating orchestral crescendos during the score allow
for an engaging and rewarding listening experience. A handful of less voluminous
cues represent the true heart of the score, including the authentic piano
performance in "Gwen" and the solitary, soulful female vocal performance in
"Jo." The title theme is a coherent element in the entire effort, drawing the score
together in a nicely wrapped package on album. The score section of that product
starts relatively slowly, so give it some time to win you over. The advertised
highlight of the album is the original song "Win," by Brian McKnight, a pop
effort that does not entirely fit stylistically with the two following songs.
Both Motown entries from the classic era, the songs by The Temptations and Marvin
Gaye more accurately represent the environment of the film. The score, which is
largely unrelated to any of the songs, is thankfully presented for thirty minutes
in a solid block on the product, and it will be an enjoyable, albeit short
listening experience for Isham collectors. The composer's ability to create and
maintain the title theme through cues of action and character from the start to
end will also make
Men of Honor a score that is easy for mainstream film
music enthusiasts to appreciate. It is a significant improvement over the
composer's related ventures for military topics of the era.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
Bias Check:
For Mark Isham reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 2.84
(in 26 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 2.88
(in 9,975 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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