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Windtalkers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack BMG, 2002
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Reviewed by Lincoln Cho
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Comparatively speaking, things used to be so easy. If you had a big star -- one that could "open" -- provided you had an adequate script and an OK supporting cast, the film would fly. Or if you had a name director and a star or two, a not-so-discerning public would line up, if for no other reason than they had nothing better to do. That was then. The entertainment world is a much more competitive place these days. If you want a Blockbuster -- and note the capital "B" -- all the elements have to be in place, and even then in a world where everyone wants a piece of the entertainment pie, there are still no guarantees. You can bust your buns and then have some light little (and relatively cheap to make) movie like Legally Blonde walk all over your box office. What's a filmmaker to do? If you have the kind of endlessly deep pockets that come with a string of financially successful movies, you get your ducks in a row and do everything big. John Woo's Windtalkers possesses all of those well coordinated ducks and shows every sign of being precisely that big. Woo grew up in Hong Kong, where he rose to prominence in the late 70s and 80s directing films that were both exceptionally stylish and exceedingly violent: previously an unpopular combination on any continent. 1989's The Killer earned him a cult following in North America and ultimately led to a contract in Hollywood. Gallons of gore have followed, in movies that include 1993's Hard Target, 1996's Broken Arrow and 2000's milestone Mission Impossible II. This year sees the release of two John Woo films: Honor Among Thieves, a US/Hong Kong production still in the works and slated to be released later this year. However Windtalkers, with a June 14th release date, has all of the earmarks -- all of the ducks -- that may well make it one of the most talked about films of the year. First of all, Windtalkers has Woo, a director noted for his ability to render violence beautifully. And, since Windtalkers is set in World War II, violence is certainly on the menu. Secondly, Windtalkers possesses stars noted for their performance in action roles, including Nicolas Cage whom Woo worked with successfully on Face/Off and Christian Slater on Broken Arrow. In a subgenre Woo has created almost single-handedly, the director has two signatures: in almost every film there is at least one scene where birds -- usually doves -- do something at least mildly interesting. Look for it in Windtalkers. And secondly, he is known for counterbalancing edge-of-your-seat-type scenes with breathtakingly beautiful music. Typically in a John Woo film, the violence on screen will be offset by a richly gorgeous soundtrack. Making this happen for Windtalkers is composer/conductor James Horner who, in his own way, has covered ground quite similar to Woo's. Horner's work is notably epic and some of our most memorable films of that size and scope in recent years were scored by James Horner. A Beautiful Mind, Enemy at the Gates, Braveheart, Apollo 13, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and -- most notably and successfully -- his Academy Award-winning score for James Cameron's Titanic. In truth, the list is too long to run in its entirety here. In a salient nutshell, however, Horner's biggest successes have been for films that were somehow larger-than-life. His first Oscar nomination was for the score for Aliens in 1986. His second nomination came for 1989's Field of Dreams. In 1995 it was beginning to look like always a bridesmaid when he was nominated for two Oscars -- winning neither -- for Braveheart and Apollo 13. Of course his win for Titanic in 1997 would seem almost big enough to make up for all of that when he won for both his score and the original song, performed by Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On." In truth, the Windtalkers soundtrack seems more Horner than Woo and some of the best material on the CD is at least vaguely reminiscent of material also found on Titanic, notably on "A New Assignment" and "Calling to the Wind." Considering the film's topic and subtext -- the Navajo "windtalkers" who were deployed as coders in the South Pacific during WW II, I would have preferred to see a stronger Native American influence throughout the Windtalkers soundtrack. It's there, but only in ghostly hints. With that said, the Windtalkers soundtrack seems very much like a calling card for James Horner, it is identifiable as his work from 20 paces. | June 2002
Lincoln Cho is a musician and freelance writer. |
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