Copland marked Sylvester Stallone's return to straight drama movies after so many years. Co-staring with him was an all-star cast with such big names like Robert DeNiro, and Harvey Keitel. Being a drama and not an action movie provides a rare opportunity to give Stallone some serious music rather than an overly heroic symphony and Howard Shore does just that. For the most part, the score is very subdued. Maintaining low tones and deeper melodies, the music is meant to serve only as a compliment to the scene and not the main focus. As such, it is simple enough to remain in the background.
There is no one theme that sticks out as being recurring except for a trumpet solo of several notes that is used in several places throughout the soundtrack. This simple piece also doesn't represent one person, place or incident but rather encompasses the entire story. Having seen the movie only once, I wasn't able to quickly associate the music with a particular scene but as soon as I see it again, I'm sure I'll be able to form a better connection between the music and the movie. The score is well written and is not overly dramatic which could have served to detract from the movie. Instead it is sufficient enough to keep with the mood of the movie and help keep the story moving.
Total time: 40:44
1: All Dressed Up in Blue (4:18)
2: Garrison, NJ (1:44)
3: Yellow Betray Blue (3:31)
4: Local Boy Saves Drowning Teen (3:03)
5: Mashed Potatoes Don't Mean Gravy (2:21)
6: The Sheriff of Cop Land (2:37)
7: Pool of Crimson (4:37)
8: The Diagonal Rule (4:25)
9: Across the River (4:58)
10: Big Blue Pow Wow (2:28)
11: Without Looking At The Cards (4:06)
12: One Police Plaza (2:03)