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Review of The Devil's Own (James Horner)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you just can't get enough of James Horner's trademark
Irish-influenced compositions, this time expressed with an introspective
level of restraint.
Avoid it... if more Gaelic vocals, percussion, and Uillean pipes over broad orchestral backing is the last thing you need from a composer who has clearly overplayed that card.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
The Devil's Own: (James Horner) There were several
very compelling films made in the early to mid-1990's that dealt with
the issue of Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland with
convincing realism. From In the Name of the Father to Michael
Collins, the topic had received outstanding treatment, and even
Patriot Games, a film that would share some similarities in crew
with The Devil's Own, held its own territory. By 1997, famed
director Alan J. Pakula was ready to tackle the subject matter, and he
managed to frustrate the two lead actors in the film by starting the
shooting of the project before the screenplay was even finished. That,
along with rumors of general distaste between Harrison Ford and Brad
Pitt, painted The Devil's Own in a negative critical and popular
light. Not working in its favor was the final screenplay, which failed
to establish which character was worthy of salvation and which was not.
With the Irish themes in Hollywood beginning to lose their appeal, the
filmmakers stuck to their guns in their choice for composer. While
Pakula had worked with other top composers in the past, the hiring of
James Horner seemed at the time (and even today) to be an obvious
attempt to take advantage of the composer's own obsession with Irish
music in the 1990's. So thorough was his adaptation of Irish and generic
Celtic influences into so many of his scores that he managed to somehow
get away with substituting it in place of true Scottish music for
Braveheart. The ultimate vindication of Horner's loyalty to the
genre finally paid off with Titanic later in 1997, and as a
result, The Devil's Own was immediately obscured and completely
lost in the public view. The film certainly calls for more Irish spirit
than others that Horner has conjured it for; essentially a tale of
revenge, the story is set against the backdrop of arms smuggling for the
Irish Republican Army. While the movie presents several moral dilemmas
(especially for Ford's straight-laced character), Horner remains
respectfully upbeat in the score, with few action sequences and mostly
subdued contemplation at heart. It is perhaps partially due to Horner's
substantially positive sequences of rhythmic motion in the major key
that audiences were somewhat confused about whether or not to attach to
Pitt's criminal character.
It would seem that Horner's intent in The Devil's Own was to create a score with the same restraint and respect for ethnicity as Thunderheart (a success in minimalism for the composer), but on a larger canvas. Indeed, The Devil's Own is backed by a full orchestral ensemble, but Horner relies upon the power of specialty instruments to once again provide all the flavor. In what could be most accurately described as Horner's best imitation of Riverdance music, he inserts an ambitious percussion section into the mix, as well several of the vocal and synthetic keyboarding techniques to be heard in Titanic. The shakuhachi flute, of course, makes a token blast or two. Drum rhythms previewed in "Main Title" are expanded in "The Mortal Blow" to emotional levels of volume heard in Legends of the Fall and Braveheart, though this cue and a few others seem content to slowly fade away with the monotonous rhythms of the drums. The magical element in the score is the lyrical title theme, "There Are Flowers Growing Upon the Hill," performed in Gaelic and English by Sara Clancy in the opening and closing cues and referenced beautifully in instrumental variations in "The New World" and "Launching the Boat." The Uillean pipes, in their now typical duets with Horner's broad strokes of strings, do become tiresome, however. The wordless performances by female voice in certain tender underscore cues (the Titanic-like "Secrets Untold" is not to be missed), often in tandem with solo flute, are alternatively the highlights. Impressive, too, are the jig-like explosions of positive energy that extend from wild acoustic guitars and an extended, tapping percussive base in "The Pool Hall." Straying too far from the score is the performance of "God Be With You" by Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries, the song ruined by a heavily droning bass effect. The score as a whole, however, has an introspective attitude and will either lull you asleep with its extended moments of reflection or irritate every fiber of your body with the continuation of Horner's blatant overuse of Irish influences in his scores at the time. The irony is that the influence is both appropriate and adequate for The Devil's Own, and in its own right, the score succeeds. But, to be absolutely sure, unless you are a sucker for Horner's works of distinct Irish flavor, the score will either bore you with its excessive length (a shorter album would have easily sufficed) or cause you to curse the composer once again. ***
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 46:43
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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