Zanobard Reviews

Nick Glennie-Smith, Hans Zimmer and Harry Gregson-Williams’ The Rock is quite simply the gold standard for an action score, with multiple well-crafted main themes and many a phenomenal action setpiece thoroughly cementing this immense orchestral/electronic album as a genuine ’90s classic.

Ah, what I wouldn’t give for more film scores like The Rock nowadays. An absolute ’90s rock-and-roll powerhouse of an album both stylistically – featuring a loudly thunderous and unapologetically epic orchestra – and thematically, as no fewer than six major themes are at play across this two hour experience. Only a couple of months ago as well we only had one hour from this particular film score, but Intrada have once again lovingly stepped up to the plate with a wonderful expansion of Nick Glennie-Smith, Hans Zimmer and Harry Gregson-Williams’ exquisitely crafted work here. And so it is there that this review begins, starting with the eight minute and thematic track “Opening-Naval Weapons Depot”.

The track opens with low-pitched, solemn brass and those classic moody ’90s Hans Zimmer-y synth vocals – you know the ones – with a crash of drums then unveiling the main theme. It’s a very patriotic and military-esque piece in tone – quite fitting with the film in that regard – and plays loudly and almost mournfully in its minute-long debut here. After the main theme fades sorrowfully away the track quietens for a minute or so of continual brassy downtrodden-ness before another, much more lively theme is then introduced at four minutes in for General Hummel and his band of rogue marines, the villains of the film. Their theme is a loud, dramatic and very ‘no-nonsense’ sort of piece, with a big tonal focus on action that carries pretty much all the way through the rest of this eight minute opening cue (and indeed much of the score), with bursts of tense brass, loudly in-your-face drums, those ’90s-esque vocals and even an electric guitar all stylistically centre stage. Hummel’s theme here also intriguingly has three distinct parts; the first at 04:00 in this track, the second at 04:40 and the third at 05:25, with each performing a similar task in hammering home the thundering, militaristic tone of both the characters and the orchestra together until several short further bursts from the main theme then close out the cue.

Frantic electronics and percussion kick off “Baby Gas”, with those classic Zimmer-esque vocals making infrequent appearances alongside an electric guitar, and the pace getting faster and more frenetic until the track then ends at just shy of three minutes long. “Romance I – Tour’s Over Bob” then slows the pace down quite dramatically in its first half, with quietly peaceful strings evoking a very gentle tone and introducing a love motif of sorts. This doesn’t last for long though as Hummel and his marines then barrel their way into the fray two minutes in, with imposing bursts of brass announcing the arrival of their thunderous theme together with dramatic drums. A section of the main theme then solemnly reprises on mournful brass in “Hummel Speech/Alcatraz Reopened”, with melancholy turning to moodiness in the subsequent minute-long “Hummel’s Demands To Pentagon”. The love motif from “Romance I” then reappears in “Possible Romantic Cue” on those same gently hopeful strings, with “Mason Montage” then striking a similarly slow pace but now with a touch of solemnity as the theme for Mason – Sean Connery’s character – dramatically debuts on vocals and electronics. The main theme then enthusiastically returns on grandiose brass in “San Francisco Montage” before ominous atmosphere takes over for the next two tracks – as the score quietly prepares for its most frenetic action setpiece.

“Haircut/Escape: The Chase!!” is a particularly thunderous action track that comes in at just over eight minutes long, and features many a fist-pumpingly epic and indeed fast-paced thematic rendition. And they’re not all from established themes either, as we are also introduced to several new motifs in this elongated cue; the first debuts at 03:30 and is another action theme – the ‘Chase’ motif – and it plays loudly and enthusiastically here on frantic strings, tense electronics, deafening brass and bursts of crashing drums. The second is another theme for Mason – his action theme – introducing itself close behind the Chase motif at 03:50, and the way these two new motifs then emphatically clash all across the track is truly a thing to behold. Following swiftly too is a heroic theme of sorts for Stanley Goodspeed, which thunders into frame at 05:40 on unapologetically loud brass to join the chase. From here the track crashes frenetically along for another dramatic two minutes before finally then coming to a grand crescendo finish. Mason’s more downtrodden motif from earlier then reprises in “Jade” on gently hopeful woodwinds, evoking a rather Celtic feel for Connery’s character before the two minute track simply fades quietly away. Goodspeed’s upbeat theme returns on brass “Hummel/SEALs” alongside a dramatic playthrough of the main theme, before emphatic action led by the latter motif then engulfs the remainder of the thunderous cue.

Moody strings together with morose electronics open “Mason Into Furnace/SEALs Tunnel – SEAL Attack”, before Hummel’s motif darts briefly into the fray followed by gallant renditions of both the main and Mason action themes. From here the music then settles into sinister brassy undertones until a particularly solemn and lengthy rendition of the main theme – much akin to that of the opening track – then closes out the nine minute track. Strings-based solemnity then occupies subsequent cue “Aftermath” and the start of “The Morgue” before “Indiana Jones/Fight With Marines” reprises Hummel’s theme in thunderous action form, with frantic percussion, worrisome strings and tense brass in centre stage together with the occasional twang from the main theme playing on an electric guitar. Mason’s action theme then reprises moodily on low brass at the start of “Hostage/Goodspeed Captured”, with his full motif from “Jade” also sounding grandly through at the ninety second mark. The latter theme then reprises again in “Hammer Head” on quietly noble brass before dramatic action takes over for the remainder of the six minute piece. “President’s Lament” then offers an extended look at orchestral solemnity, in preparation for the next track and sixteen minute grand finale of The Rock; “Mission’s Over/Final Attack/Finale”.

This powerhouse of an action cue begins with low-pitched brass and quiet percussion building tension, before emphatic strings then kick off a frenetic tone at the three minute mark followed by a particularly militaristic rendition of Hummel’s theme. With the music now rapidly picking up the pace several further, more dramatic renditions of the aforementioned motif sound through with Mason’s action theme also gruffly joining the fray at seven minutes in. The main theme then practically soars into centre stage on thunderously epic brass three minutes after, with the music briefly going quiet and moody before said motif then leaps heroically back in for its loudest and grandest playthrough yet. To close out the track Mason’s gentle theme from “Jade” then reprises one last time on those gently Celtic woodwinds. With the album overall now rapidly approaching its end, “Fort Walton, Kansas” plays the upbeat love theme from “Romance I” one last time on increasingly enthusiastic strings, with final cue “End Titles (Hummel/SEALs)” giving a fist-pumpingly thunderous orchestral sendoff to both the Goodspeed and main themes to finish.

Overall Nick Glennie-Smith, Hans Zimmer and Harry Gregson-Williams’ absolute powerhouse of a score for The Rock is frankly just the absolute gold standard for how an action score should sound. It has it all; well-crafted and memorable themes, many a fist-pumpingly epic action setpiece and a simply killer orchestral/electronic musical style that is just so utterly enjoyable in its thunderous execution. The standout aspect of the album is of course the aforementioned themes, with the main and General Hummel motifs being the absolute highlights – just listen to “Opening – Naval Weapons Depot”, absolutely phenomenal – though the others for Stanley Goodspeed and Mason are pretty fantastic too (see “Hummel/SEALs” and “Haircut/Escape: The Chase!”) and all together, these themes are weaved pretty expertly throughout this stellar soundtrack to create not only some pretty close to perfect action cues, but also what is simply overall one of the finest thematic tapestries put to an action film. And if that doesn’t sell you on just how damned good The Rock is, nothing will.

Score: 9/10

Standout Cues: 1. Opening-Naval Weapons Depot/27. End Titles (Hummel/SEALs)

Buy the 2-CD expansion for the score right here, published by Intrada.

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