Music From the Movies, November 28, 2000

Intrada's new limited edition Special Collection kicks off with a lesser know score from Basil Poledouris, Switchback. This 1997 film about an obsessional FBI agent played by Dennis Quaid chasing a serial killer and kidnapper has a thrilling climax on a train travelling through the snowy Rockies. The album contains the entire score along with a cleverly constructed "Outtake Suite".

As you might expect from the composer of Flight of the Intruder and Conan The Barbarian, the score is full of suspense and action cues. The composer has based the score on a simple three-note motif, which very effectively ties the scope together cohesively. The initial cues are scene setting, suspenseful and menacing. Some sections are low-key background music, but still very listenable. As the film progresses the action cues become more prevalent and the full power of the orchestra, backed by brass and percussion, is used to paint the violence of the fight sequences, the splendour of the mountains along with the inexhaustibility of the speeding "218" locomotive, which results in some imaginative and compelling music.

Switchback is an interesting score with lots to offer and a must for all the many Basil Poledouris fans and those who appreciate action scores. Intrada should be commended for a first class release as the premiere of their new series, which is excellently presented with an informative and attractive packaging. It will be interesting to learn if they can maintain this standard with their next release in this series.