The Devil's Own

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Why is James Horner so hated? I'll tell you, this is why. The Devil's Own is musically speaking a nice score to have, a good score to listen to and a James Horner score that demands respect. But then you realize, this has all been done before and the respect is gone, the fun almost and nothing really makes The Devil's Own unique in its own style. I like a good listen and considering the talent James Horner possesses, this is as good as they come. But this I consider leans so close to two masterpieces, that I find it hard to really like it on its own. Titanic, Braveheart and then the small ideas which remind you of Clear and Present Danger and Legends of the Fall prove why. It is hard to ignore the facts and I think it is fair to say that the director Alan J. Pakula wanted that Irish influence of Braveheart and Titanic, considering that it did good things for those two films. And considering that it handles Irish influences, the story that is, who are we to disagree. The score surely becomes better of it, the new aspect however is long gone before you have reached the 3rd minute.

First of all, people that despise a good steal from Horner's repertoire will again see nothing but hate after the listen of The Devil's Own. The small resemblances I can get passed at, anyone has his own style and small similarities are a way to represent yourself. But I was feeling that any minute this score could pass for another Braveheart or Titanic. Simply, place several minutes of this score into those two and nobody would notice the difference. This doesn't make the score bad, but simply bad to enjoy because a score that doesn't hold a unique content is missing the picture, then you can simply call it "more music from". The Devil's Own starts good with a musical song (written by Horner and lyrics by the constant appearing Will Jennings) and this is exactly what this score needed, a fresh approach. However during the 3rd minute Braveheart appears from nowhere, the flow from song to score is perfect but nowhere is this the original approach anyone was wanting to hear. 'Ambush' leans close to the equally named tracks of Braveheart and Clear and Present Danger and by that it draws similarities. A good and fun track is 'Launching the Boat' which stays remarkably fun because of the Irish instrumentation. But then you hear tracks 5 and 7, these could come out of first Braveheart and the next Titanic, just one thing keeping the difference still noticeable, like for instance a piano in 5.

This is of course nice to hear but this doesn't make The Devil's Own unique. Same when you are trying to bring in too much similarities like 'Rory's Arrest / Diaz is Killed', this almost brings any score I've mentioned before into its repertoire. And the best is yet to come, because 'Going Home' almost hints (for goodness sake) the love theme of the Princess of Braveheart but luckily stops before spitting it completely out. This is James Horner, I have no problem with it if it helps the score, even die hard rip offs jobs like Bicentennial Man I can enjoy but there is this part in me saying that The Devil's Own is Titanic with a William Wallace steering it towards the iceberg. This is not good for a score and no matter how well written the music is, only fans will enjoy its worth. I enjoy it musically speaking but truth, I hardly listen to it anyway. The score is definitely for the hardcore fans of Celtic music and Horner in this hardly disappoints, but The Devil's Own is missing a serious fresh approach, making it the devil on its own in the James Horner collection.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Main Title * (4.36)

2. God Be With You: Dolores O' Riordan (3.32)

3. Ambush (2.29)

4. The Irish Republican Navy (1.18)

5. The New World (4.31)

6. Launching The Boat (3.01)

7. Secrets Untold (5.01)

8. The Pool Hall (2.37)

9. Rory's Arrest / Diaz Is Killed (4.15)

10. Quiet Goodbyes (1.00)

11. Rooftop Escape (1.44)

12. The Mortal Blow (5.10)

13. Going Home ** (7.12)

* Includes "There are flowers growing upon the Hill" (Gaelic version)

** Includes "There are flowers growing upon the Hill" (English version), music by James Horner and lyrics by Will Jennings

Total Length: 46.47

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=== Link to Composer Site: James Horner ===