Executive Decision was a great movie specifically because they didn't give top billing to Steven Segal but to Kurt Russell. That move was very smart since Kurt can act and Segal can...well... keep the same face no matter the circumstances. For Jerry Goldsmith, this outing was a decent one but it seemed as if he really wasn't trying to hard to come up with something new and exciting. Granted doing so is extremely difficult considering how much the man has done over the years, nevertheless, what Goldsmith turns out for this soundtrack is pretty good. There are subtle hints of Total Recall and Innerspace in some of the tracks but its not a carbon copy.
The main theme, in this case called The Map covers the opening titles and the opening moments of the movie. The theme is a pretty straightforward action opening. I like the theme a lot, unfortunately, this theme isn't used as often in the soundtrack. The theme that is used a lot is introduced in All Aboard, this simple melody is carried on throughout the next few tracks. From then on, as in the movie itself, the music is really quiet.
In the movie all of the main characters who have snuck on the highjacked plane are forced to whisper to avoid detection. I don't think they realized just how loud a real jet in flight is, there is no way they would have been heard even if they spoke at a normal tone. But that whispering attitude seems to have struck Goldsmith as an interesting concept since for almost the entire remainder of the soundtrack, the music maintains low volume, bursting forth only on occasion. Things finally pick up near the end in The Sleeper and The Ramora. While not as good as Air Force One which would come out a year later, this score is still pretty decent. However, with less than 30 minutes of music, its kind of a rip off. Don't get it unless you can get it fairly cheap like I did.
Total time: 29:35
1: The Map (1:30)
2: All Aboard (5:40)
3: Drill Team (5:30)
4: Do It (2:33)
5: Pick It Up (2:31)
6: Starting Over (2:55)
7: The Sleeper (3:28)
8: The Ramora (2:18)
9: Hold It (1:58)