Customer Reviews

Spy Game: Original Motion Picture Score

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Harry Gregson-Williams, who has composed many film scores along with John Powell and by himself, returns solo with this thriller score to Spy Game. The music represents the various settings in the film, from China to Vietnam and the middle east with voices and ethnic percussion sounds.The opening track "Su-Chou Prison" opens the score with thrilling percussion and synths. A boy soprano soloist is used in 2 main tracks, "My Name Is Tom" and "Operation Dinner Out". These 2 tracks, plus "Parting Company" contain the main theme. A highlight of the soundtrack is "Red Shirt" which contains all of the score's basic elements thrown into one track. "The Long Night" reminds me a little of Graeme Revell's The Negotiator in parts, but i'm sure that Gregson-Williams didn't take it from him. Other parts of the score remind me of Danny Elfman's Proof of Life. The majority of the score contains ethnic influences, with voices, a boy soprano soloist, ethnic percussion, and plenty of electronics and orchestra. Great orchestral music can be found in "All Hell Breaks Loose", "Beirut, A War Zone", "My Name Is Tom", "Explosion and Aftermath", and "Operation Dinner Out". I wish that more of the orchestral passages would of been used, but due to the film's setting, I can see why Gregson-Williams chose to use electronics and ethnic sounds for it. There is 71 minutes of music on here, which is more than plenty and satisfies the average film music collector. A great soundtrack and a job well done by Harry Gregson-Williams.

Let me begin by saying that I became addicted to film scores several years ago. Since I began listening to them I have purchased nothing else. As an independent writer, I use them for inspiration when I write since they do not have distracting lyrics. I am not a music expert and know little about scoring a film. I just know what I like.
And I like SPY GAME.
I have several CDs of Mr. Gregson-Williams that he helped co-write but this is the first score of his that I have purchased that he did on his own. He is clearly a talented composer and the music would be fun to listen to, even without having seen the movie (which was incredible by the way). He is obviously influenced by Hans Zimmer (my personal favorite composer) and I feel that his music definitely tells a story.
The music is incredibly diverse with many varying styles of the original theme that I think is very poignant. At times it is very heart wrenching, at other times fast paced and exciting. If it has a drawback, and I use that "if" tentatively, it is that some listeners may not enjoy the occassional Middle Eastern or Chinese style of music interlaced with the fast paced techno-style of music that dominates most tracks.
I would recommend this CD to people who enjoyed the music for ENEMY OF THE STATE, THE ROCK, or FACE/OFF as they have the same genre style as SPY GAME.
Look for future movie trailers to sample this music left and right very soon...

While the general job of anyone getting the "Music By" credit is to underscore the emotional context of the filmed image, electronic music is often overlooked as a tool by which this can be meaningfully achieved. Indeed, most electronically-rendered scores ARE easily forgettable, and in some cases flatly inappropriate for the action being described.

But Gregson-William here chooses precisely the right instruments and displays his absolute studio-side mastery. In part this is because the film itself, being so heavily involved with electronic surveillance, obviously calls for a more artificial musical score. But his real genius is in finding a way to give both cultural context and recognizable motifs. Whether the current action on the screen is set in Asia, Europe, America or the Middle East, the music feels like it belongs both in those locales AND in the same movie. The main theme for Redford's character doubles as the SPY GAME theme, and it's worked and reworked throughout to give a thoroughly satisfying evolution through the action.

If you've been disappointed by electronic soundtracks in the past--and who living through the 80s wasn't?--this score will show you just how expressive the genre can be, when handled by the right artist.

This Soundtrack (Score rather) captures the true essence of the movie. My favorites are the 'Training Montage' and 'The Beirut Sequence', If you have seen the movie (which might i add is a classic in its own right), i would recommend buying this soundtrack.
The only gripe i have is , that they did not include Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way" and Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" in the soundtrack. An otherwise, Good music score to have around.

This soundtrack is certainly going to link you to previous Harry Gregson-Williams works. You'll recognize the flavors of his arrangements. Overall, this score is very catchy. I've whistled the piano rhythym over and over since I heard it.

The motion picture is really told with the original score. Spy Game is not laced with a special effects showcase. It is a story picture. This original score assists the story by complementing it.

"Beirut Is A Warzone", "My Name is Tom" and "Red Shirt" are the highlights. But, don't miss the "Spies(Ryebot Remix)". This track is very impressive. Don't be surprised to see it used in upcoming motion picture trailers.

This is a very good score that sort of creeps up on you. About half way through the film you begin to notice it. Composer Harry Gregson-Williams has a unique way of combing the locale with the backgrounds of the characters. The characters come from diverse parts of the globe yet travel to numerous hot spots of the earth-political to ply their trade. He dissects these roots and integrates them into scenes beautifully. Harry Gregson-Williams carries this out effortlessly with brilliant results. Tracks 9 through 13 really demonstrate this. This CD is a gem if you like something that sounds fresh but still contemporary yet has foundations based on traditional approaches to film scoring.

This is a wonderful soundtrack, but I don't see/hear the great rock and roll music played during the end credits. Does anyone know the title/artist?

If you like Hans Zimmer or Klaus Badelt, then you'll like this one album. Don't know about the artists other works, but virtually every track here is great to hear. Soundtrack made the movie pretty good too. Bought that myself based on the soundtrack and the plot. This music had some similarities with the Matrix type of stuff. Don't hesitate to buy this one.

The music from this CD has been a favorite of mine for the past couple years. The styles mix quite well and provide a a variety that gives a vitality to this collection with every listen. In lesser hands this diversity of style could have been chaos, but HGW shows he is a very accomplished composer. Listen to the samples to get a feel for the variety of styles. If you like these the whole album will not disappoint. My personal favorite tracks are # 2, 5, 10, 13, & 18. You will be able to listen to this again and a again and each time you will discover something new. It is especially good on headphones!

Harry Gregson-William came up with a pretty sweet score for the movie. Spy Game was another movie where I decided to get the soundtrack for the score ten minutes in. Sometimes the little techno buzz gets repetitious but I enjoy it, it's pretty funky and more exciting than your average score. There are also a lot of parts that are very moving, sometimes more moving than the film itself. The remix track is pretty cool, too. Bank on the music from the movie, though. It's worth it.