Filmtracks: Extreme Measures (Danny Elfman)

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Written 3/15/10

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Buy it... if you love being enveloped by the understated dramatic atmosphere of Danny Elfman's closely related Dolores Claiborne, though Extreme Measures does feature a more memorable title theme that finally develops nicely in the closing cue.

Avoid it... if you expect to hear a significant dose of Elfman's usual knack for creative instrumentation in what is instead a surprisingly mundane thriller score that resembles the composer's tendencies less than most of his other works.

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Extreme Measures: (Danny Elfman) One of many in a long line of philosophical medical thrillers is Michael Apted's Extreme Measures, a chase story that examines the boundaries of acceptable practices in the realm of medical experimentation. A young, affable, and idealistic doctor with a successful career accidentally stumbles upon a massive conspiracy by his colleagues to use homeless people to test radical therapies meant to cure paralyzed patients. In this underground complex, the homeless die from the tests despite promise in the medicine, and a final confrontation between the director of this experiment and the young doctor (now on the run after his life is ruined and nearly ended due to his own investigation about the dead homeless people) leads to thought-provoking fireworks. Though somewhat generic in that plot, this particular film supplies intrigue through the casting of Hugh Grant as the outgunned doctor to counter Gene Hackman in one of his stereotypical roles of abused power. Decent reviews did not translate into lasting popular success for Extreme Measures, however, and the moral issues at its heart have been explored further in several films since. The project is one of the least known mainstream efforts of composer Danny Elfman in the 1990's, whose career had taken a dramatic shift away from his collaboration with Tim Burton at the time. Gone were the days of melodramatic majesty of a gloriously harmonic nature, replaced by Elfman's desire to branch out into more serious topics while alternatively dabbling back into the electronic realm from which he originated. There is no doubt that 1995 and 1996 were disconcerting years for fans of the composer who were enamored with his production in previous years. The low-key dramas in particular, led by Dolores Claiborne and Extreme Measures at the outset, were largely devoid of the elements in Elfman's earliest works that originally drew attention to him. His basic mannerisms and orchestral techniques were still usually evident in these scores, though Extreme Measures is perhaps the most blatant exception. Of all of Elfman's mostly orchestral scores of this era, this one is arguably the least recognizable as belong to his cannon. It is ultimately a rather mundane thriller score that actually plays much closer to a typical James Newton Howard effort for the same genre. Not even a faint hint of the composer's creatively quirky sensibilities (or lively instrumentation) can be heard in this music until a brief burst of percussion in the closing credits.

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You have to be disappointed anytime you hear Elfman playing it safe for a streamlined assignment, regardless of the effectiveness of the music. A workmanlike score for Extreme Measures is sufficient in context, but it sounds as though Elfman began with Dolores Claiborne as a template for its contemplative stewing and simply elevated the volume. Much like that score from the previous year, this one will leave you with little more than an impression of faint dramatic gravity or perhaps a portion of the main theme's four-note progressions. That theme shows more promise than anything in Dolores Claiborne, however, those four-note phrases slowly descending like the sinking feeling the main character in this story feels as control over his life is slipping away. Elfman's loyalty to its development throughout the score is admirable, with piano solos exploring its compelling phrases in most of the score's major cues. In "Main Title" and "Epilogue," Elfman layers strings with brass backing over the piano to give the theme an impressively powerful identity. Solo violin accents in these cues are noteworthy. Outside of these statements, the score is remarkably similar in tone and instrumentation to Dolores Claiborne, from the use of piano in low ranges and slight, vague vocal color at times to the explosive interruption of the listening experience by two action cues. In "The Descent" and "Elevator Madness," Elfman tingles the senses with a plethora of plucked and struck lines of activity, the latter using some of the same disjointed brass techniques as the former score's eclipse sequence. The "End Credits" features the most cohesive burst of activity that seems as brief as it is misguided, though it is easily the creative highlight of the score. A wild collection of percussion reminds of Elfman's tone for the Joker in Batman, and his banging of xylophones, triangles, and cowbells is a keen way to represent a haywire experiment on one's spine. Unfortunately, this lively activity concludes as quickly as it began, returning the score to another plaintive performance of the title theme. The moments before the "Epilogue / End Credits" combo in Extreme Measures are unfortunately lacking in any of the same personality, leaving this one cue as a decent candidate for your compilations of the composer's works. Some of the dullness plaguing the mass of the underscore is perhaps due to a questionably flat mix of the recording, de-emphasizing Elfman's insertion of electronic elements. While some fans have complained about the 29-minute score-only album, a longer product would likely have only exacerbated the failure of this music to truly engage the listener. ** @Amazon.com: CD or Download

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For Danny Elfman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.12 (in 95 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.26 (in 154,830 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

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