"Ron Howard sets his standards High ~ James Horner"
J. Lovins | Missouri-USA | 03/03/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"A Ron Howard film, "The Missing", featuring Tommy Lee Jones (Samuel Jones), Cate Blanchett (Maggie Gilkeson), Eric Schweig (Chidin), Evan Rachel Wood (Lilly Gilkeson), Jenna Boyd (Dot Gilkeson), Aaron Eckhart (Brake Baldwin) and Val Kilmer (Lt. Jim Ducharme) ~ suspenseful, dramatic and supernatural story set in a western landscape ~ outstanding performances by all the above ~ but none of this would work without composer James Horner's reveting score, filled with Native American themes.James Horner pulls out all his magic tricks with "DAWN TO DUSK/THE RIDERLESS HORSE", "THE BRUJO'S STORM/A LOSS OF INNOCENCE", "KAYITAH'S DEATH/THE SOARING HAWK" and "THE LONG RIDE HOME" ~ entire score is loaded with Horner signature cues, from slow building crescendos of violence to harmonious blends of mysticism, Horner is a champion in that department ~ always in demand for scoring another film for Ron Howard...gotta love it!Total Time: 77:35 on 15 Tracks ~ Sony 93093 ~ (11/18/2003)"
James Horner's best score of last year.
Krishna Manohar | Rockville, MD USA | 06/24/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Say what you will about James Horner, I think this is the best score he has written awhile. I did see the film and thought it was somewhat fair but odd how the films opening shot was Cate Blanchett in an outhouse. Oh well back to music, I would definitely recommend this score along with Beyond Borders, which is a synth based film score but tastefully done with impressive vocals and ethnic instrumentation. Both are far superior than the lackluster score which Horner provided as a replacement for Troy. The Missing really soars in the second half and it is unforgettable."
James Horner Seemed Afraid of Copying Himself
03/24/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I rented the video today and the first thing I did, being a huge Horner fan, was FF to the end title music.It started off just beautiful, but after about 20 seconds, it seemed to veer off and copy "Legends of the Fall" and then Horner would pull it back. Then it would sound like some of his other scores and he would pull it off another direction. I think he must read his reviews on Amazon and everyone seems to have a beef with his music sounding the same, but I don't care because it's all just so beautiful. However, when he tries to veer away from himself, it just ends up with NO memorable melody. I'm on the fence about buying this one. I may wait until there's nothing else to buy. Don't play safe, Mr. Horner, just write the beautiful music that you write!"