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Review of The Rundown (Harry Gregson-Williams)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you appreciate the employment of exotic instrumentation even if
the underlying orchestral and electronic constructs are somewhat derivative.
Avoid it... if generic rhythmic chase music aided by ethnic drums and without thematic identity or organized substance can't sustain the genre for you.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
The Rundown: (Harry Gregson-Williams) Upon seeing the wrestler
turned actor in his second major cinematic role, the mainstream was finally asking
the question, "why do they call Dwayne Johnson 'The Rock'?" And for good reason,
because he was establishing himself as an affable replacement for Arnold
Schwarzenegger in the superhuman action genre of the 2000's. For Peter Berg's
The Rundown, Johnson is thrust into a man-versus jungle scenario, with none
of the characters being particularly likable in their affiliations (to a greedy
kingpin or an evil Gold-mining manager) except, perhaps, for the peculiar bond they
must form to survive and retrieve a priceless treasure and get out of the Brazilian
jungle alive. The plot is not one of horror, but rather one of regular adventure
and the usual variety of dumb comedy (seeing Johnson attacked by a monkey is a
welcomed turn of events). Despite surprising critical acclaim, the picture never
generated enough steam at the box office to return Universal's investment. Lending
his services to the production was Harry Gregson-Williams, one of the more
successful students of Hans Zimmer to spin off into a strong career of his own
during the decade. He had gained new followers that summer with his rousing,
swashbuckling score for the otherwise disastrous Sinbad: Legend of the Seven
Seas, and next on tap was The Rundown. The score was destined to address
a plethora of chasing (as well as a few personal fight sequences), thus producing
an opportunity for Gregson-Williams to create a rhythmically driving score with a
sense of movement equivalent to Enemy of the State. The attention to ambient
sound design is similar to that previous score, though Gregson-Williams takes a few
steps to stay true to the authenticity of the region. He constructed a score that
would make use of performers from Brazil, including "The School of Samba Unidos de
Vila Isabel" in Rio de Janeiro and "Bloco lle Alye" in Bahia. Their performances
(recorded on location) extended the sound of The Rundown beyond the usual,
bland combination of real and synthetic orchestral elements that Media Ventures
artists typically churned out for films of this kind. Even so, this score's basic
architecture makes it a sort of Enemy of the State with Brazilian
instrumentation, leaving traditional, symphonic score collectors without much to
become excited about. A schizophrenic handling of motifs also plagues the score as
it attempts to develop consistent character.
Without the instrumentation native to the region, the music for The Rundown could be labeled a simple rehash of a tired equation of modern action cliches. Some might argue that it still is, but that depends on your interest in exotic instruments set over familiar rhythmic devices. This is no Under Fire, and people who are quick to point that out will also note that The Rundown exists without a primary theme. Its atmosphere and sound design is consistent from beginning to end, and the score does develop more of a heart as it progresses, but it relies heavily on its colorful tones to retain your interest. And that instrumentation is generally good, with ethnic flutes and percussion that is effective in many of their applications. One notable exception is "Kontiki," which features catchy drums, whistle-blowing, and tinkling, banging percussion that builds to a crescendo and erupts like the percussion section of a college marching band gone wild. The frustrating aspect of The Rundown is a reoccurring complaint with Media Ventures scores, and it involves developmental consistency. In short, the score never creates a strong central identity, instead presenting three or four fantastic, short motifs that are never heard a second time. In "No Breaks," for instance, the composer introduces a low, intoxicating male vocal that never returns. In "The Deal," he presents a truly exotic woodwind instrument-effect (which could be real or synthesized) but then abandons it. The "Marianna Escapes" cue offers a short glimpse of romantic sensibility in a passionate motif performed with personality by acoustic guitar. But like such equally uninspiring scores as Chill Factor, each briefly established motif dies before it can be further explored. As the score for The Rundown progresses, it loses some of its authentic percussion and becomes more of a budget conscious, seemingly synthesized effort. By "The Gato," Gregson-Williams finally exhibits the regular Media Ventures style of electronic-sounding strings over real orchestral elements, and by the "Guns" cue near the end of the presentation, we're in familiar electric guitar-blazing territory. The composer does conjure a bit of an inside joke (perhaps… maybe it was a mental accident) in "Little Swim;" at 1:10 into that cue, he makes a quiet, though distinct statement of one of his Sinbad themes. Overall, the album is easy to appreciate in parts, and despite an unceremonious end and a lack of thematic identity, the score is likely sufficient in its purpose. But several good ideas are introduced and abandoned over the course of the score, and their lack of development can make the music for The Rundown a frustrating experience. **
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 44:30
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a list of performers, but no extra information about
the score or 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 The Rundown are Copyright © 2003, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 10/22/03 and last updated 3/4/09. |
