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Review of Men of Honor (Mark Isham)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

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.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

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.  ****

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 39:41

• 1. Win - performed by Brian McKnight (4:11) • 2. I Wish It Would Rain - performed by The Temptations (2:52) • 3. Say When - performed by Marvin Gaye (2:38) • 4. The Navy Diver (1:48) • 5. A Son Never Forgets (3:27) • 6. Bounce Dive (2:44) • 7. Fouled! (4:55) • 8. Gwen (2:45) • 9. The Breath Holding Contest (2:57) • 10. Jo (4:28) • 11. Men of Honor (6:51)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.

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