Customer Reviews

Ronin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Elia Cmiral's score for Ronin is incredibly atmospheric, drawing the listener into the mood and feel of the film perfectly. The use of the Duduk (a type of Armenian wind instrument I believe) gives the score a somber quality that excellently captures the sense of loneliness and regret associated with the characters, such as on the track "The Girl Sold Us Out". The last piece in the score incorporates Duduk as well, but in the last few seconds, combines with the accompanying orchestra to create a beautifully bittersweet finale. It is also important to note, since this primarily an action film, that Cmiral has composed wonderful action cues that serve in building the dramatic tension, and then transform into pulse pounding "chase" and "fight music" that is unique and attention grabbing. Recently I went to Europe to study, and I made sure I took this CD with me. Not only would I miss the music if I didn't, but it turned out to be the best music to listen to while riding a night train across Europe. No score collection is complete without this CD.

It drives me crazy when you hear a song in a movie, and expect the soundtrack to offer that song, but it isn't there! This CD is missing the duet between Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli that plays in the movie when Katarina Witt is skating. It can be found on Andrea Bocelli's CD, Sogno.

An excellent collection--the CD captures the building tension and suspense of the movie as well as sampling a few of the tender moments. Dark, rumbling drums introduce most sections and themes are then built upon with blaring horns and quickly drawn strings... an exceptional, challenging listen that will draw you back again and again.

"Bocelli!" "Brightman!" "Bocelli!" "Brightman!" It looks like the usual cohort of rocket scientists has failed to notice the presence of Elia Cmiral's *score* to the movie instead of the non-presence of a piece of *source* music that wasn't in any way germane to the plot of the movie. The song may have been meant to aspire to irony but may have been merely distracting.

Cmiral's score, on the other hand, was concise, evocative and interesting. Why don't you give that a listen instead of seeking out the same old pablum?

In the movie Ronin, the song that is playing when Katarina Witt is shot is "Time To Say Goodbye" and it is not on the Ronin soundtrack. It is on Sarah Brightman's album entitled coincidently "Time To Say Goodbye". In the other reviews, it may have be confusing that Andrea Bocelli is also in that song but Ms. Witt's character is shot while skating before Andrea sings his part in this beautiful duet. I fully agree with another reviewer that perhaps the best piece of music in this terific film is not included in the soundtrack.

I love this CD it's never out of my player. The RONIN theme is soooo cool. It's sexy, seductive and very weird. I'd never heard of Elia Cmiral before seeing this movie but I'm sure that he'll have many more cool scores in the future. Some of the tracks on the CD are a little flat and filled with tension music tho. But there are enough thematic elements in the 26 tracks to make it a great purchase.

Track 11 tho, is not from the score. Instead it is music heard on a Carousel early on in the film. Although I griped about some of the empty tracks one of my faves is 22 (Wrong Way), which contains no themes at all. Made up of nothing but nervous and white-knuckle chase music this track can excite without any kind of theme just as much as the music in the Speed soundtrack. The best tracks of the Ronin theme are 1,14,19,21 and 26. 19 in particular is, IMO, erotic. The duduk is a very sexy sounding instrument indeed. Weird, when you consider that the film is quite unglamorous. But it fits anyway.

But this CD right away and I'm sure you'll love it. I certainly do. One of my fave CDs, no doubt.

An excellent suspenseful soundtrack that accurately portrays the darkness of the movie. By the way, the piece the others are referring to is not Celine Dion and is not on Sogno but rather is Sarah Brightman with Andrea Bocelli and really is incidental to the rest of the movie and to the soundtrack.

I love this CD it's never out of my player. The RONIN theme is soooo cool. It's sexy, seductive and sort of Arabian mixed with a dark Irish feel. It's very weird and I'm sure you'll love it. I certainly do.

I gave this a 5 star review because of the main theme
of the soundtrack. There are 3 - 4 songs that make this
worthwhile. I really like film scores because they
really have some good music. The only complaint is
that there is some "incidental" music that only makes
sense when they are being played during the scene that
they were written for.

This is a solid film score. To the frantic reviewer above and whoever is interested the track playing during the ice skating scene is Time to say good bye by Andre Bocelli. It was later performed by Sarah Brightman and that is the version playing in the film. The writer of this rather beautiful piece is Francesco Sartori.
Not a bad score at all.