Total Recall is along with True Lies one of the great early 90s action movies and one of Arnold Schwarzenegger�s last smash hits. The film with its ingenious plot with Arnold Schwarzenegger in superhero mode unravelling a conspiracy and killing a large number of bad guys in as brutal a way as possible. Director Paul Verhoven produces a rip roaring action thriller as well as an explosive gore fest. Whilst this gore can sometimes feel over the top and in places really grotesque the film is everything I�ve come to expect from both the director, (Starship Troopers mindless action and topless girl scenes spring to mind (ok they sold the film to me but the plot is wafer thin and the dialogue pointless)) and Arnold Schwarzenegger who just always is an over the top action hero.
The film is still an incredibly stylish piece and much of that style comes through Goldsmith�s score, particularly the opening titles which employs everything from electronics and chorals to a full orchestra. The brass�s rising crescendo at the beginning to hail a new credit onto the screen instantly gives both the score and the film that stylish quality and makes Total Recall instantly recognisable.
There are some soft moments to Total Recall in several tracks, in particular the latter half of �The Dream� and the finale �A New Life� These tracks use very little of the orchestra itself for much of their running time. Much of �The Dream� consists of a small string section and electronics with a short horn/ string duet. �A New Life� is the big solely orchestral track. Whilst the orchestra feels somewhat subdued in this track it serves the track to its advantage allowing the final blast of brass theme to feel more impressive.
�The Mutant� is another track that is a kind of wallpapering cue with a lot of electronic backing with the orchestra following a waving, mysterious motif that towards the second half of the track, broadens into a more heavily orchestral and stunning cue.
The action music is what makes up most of the CD, and if you�re thinking of buying the CD this is probably what you are buying it for. The cues form a continuing montage of the best action music Goldsmith can create as in his score for Air Force One. Whilst some do seem a bit bland and flat in inspiration others are some of the best action cues Goldsmith has ever done unfolding around short snappy motifs that I have not heard Goldsmith employ before or since Total Recall. In Particular two cues stand out as the most original and bombastic tracks. �The Treatment� and �The Hologram� are by far the best action cues for several reasons. The orchestration is particularly powerful in these tracks and the motifs the cues are centred around change rapidly rather than making an enjoyable but Dennis McCarthy like wallpaper cue in tracks such as �For Old Times Sake�. Also these two tracks make several of the few large statements of the main theme which help drive the action tracks considerably.
Simply put Total Recall is a must have for a Jerry Goldsmith collector and a great buy for anyone just after some great, loud and driving action music with style and theme.
****
1. The Dream (3:35)
2. First Meeting (1:13)
3. Secret Agent (0:55)
4. The Implant (2:44)
5. The Aftermath (0:33)
6. For Old Times' Sake (3:03)
7. Clever Girl (4:33)
8. The Johnny Cab (3:50)
9. Howdy Stranger (2:03)
10. The Nose Job (1:58)
11. The Space Station (0:50)
12. A New Face (1:32)
13. The Mountain (1:30)
14. Identification (1:05)
15. Lies (1:08)
16. Where Am I? (4:03)
17. Swallow It (3:07)
18. The Big Jump (4:36)
19. Without Air (1:18)
20. Remembering (1:53)
21. The Mutant (3:19)
22. The Massacre (2:37)
23. Friends (1:43)
24. The Treatment (5:40)
25. The Hollowgram (5:40)
26. End of a Dream (5:46)
27. A New Life (3:30)
