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April 2003 Film Music CD Reviews

Film Music Editor: Gary S. Dalkin
Managing Editor: Ian Lace
Music Webmaster Len Mullenger

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The Hunted  
Music composed by Brian Tyler
  Available on Varèse Sarabande (VSD-6450)
Running Time: 35:04
Crotchet   Amazon UK   Amazon US

hunted

Brian Tyler continues to strengthen his position as one of that select band, the film music composer in regular employment. And although his success or failure will no doubt have little to do with either reviewers or fans and more to do with the power and connections of executives and agents, we simple aficionados of the form can at least mark our own personal reaction.

So what do we have here? Well, a little of this and a little of that, some Goldsmithesque suspense, a bit of Newton-Howard-like action. It all sounds relatively familiar but it also sounds perfectly solid and effective. ‘Asymmetric Rhythms’ for instance, is propulsive and dynamic and has one of two arresting moments, while ‘Disordered Patterns’ is rather reminiscent of a piece of James Horner dramatic melancholy. In fact, allowing for the fact that there is nothing really new here, everything works rather well. Interestingly, if this had indeed been written by someone like Jerry Goldsmith, we would all be praising it as a stalwart example of action/suspense scoring and given its comparatively brief running time there are few opportunities for the soundtrack to outstay its welcome.

There is definitely intelligence on show here, along with a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of all of the required tricks of the trade. While it may take some considerable time before people will be referring to certain kinds of film music as Tyleresque, I found myself sufficiently impressed to keep an open mind on just high this composer may climb in the years to come.

Mark Hockley

***(*) 31/2

(Note: Brian Tyler's score for Darkness Falls is also reviewed on Film Music on the Web this month).

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