Customer Reviews

Rules of Engagement (2000 Film)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Milan Records and Mark Isham the seasoned composer have given us a suspenseful action and courtroom drama film score. The director William Friedkin wanted Isham to rework his "On the Threshold of Liberty" from his album "Vapor Drawings", the theme sufficiently fits the genre of the film perfectly. The performance of the London Metropolitan Orchestra and cues are the highlight of this tightly composed score.

Isham with his undeniable talent and rousing patriotic themes, somber melancholy cues and heart pounding suspense tracks rule on this brilliant score. Highly recommend this CD to "filmscore collectors" and "Mark Isham Fans" alike!

Total Time: 41:59 on 14 Tracks/ Milan Records - 73138 35906 2 (2000)

I bought this score mostly because one of my favorites in my collection is October Sky. I expected something similar and i was disappointed in some ways but not all... If you were to apply raw logic to purchasing this score i can tell you right now it wouldn't be worth the money. Alas, Mark Isham must have been on a tight supervision schedule because most of what you hear on this score is thumping mood music. But certain tracks, most specifically the last 3 are so much better one might argue they don't belong in the same CD. My guess is Mark Isham was allowed to "Spread his wings" here due to the length that endings leave. Both versions of "On The Threshold of Liberty" are great with their heartfelt Brass solos (Played by Mr. Isham himself). But the real value here is in SEMPER FIDELIS: Here i found tones of what i was looking for and somewhat more. While similar to October Sky in certain places i would go so far as to call this significantly better, it hits a tone and key that describe the pain and pride that accompany being a soldier. All in all, i give this CD 3 stars, most of it is less than spectacular but it is well made up for in the last few tracks.

Listen to the old 1984 soundtrack of "Country" and you can hear "The Rules of Engagement." It's also on other Mark Isham recordings, including "On the Threshold of Liberty" on the 1984 Windham Hill Records Sampler. Yes, it's a totally derivative work! If you've heard it once, you've heard it before... just recycled... Who's fooling who here?