After the truly etherial score to The Thin Red Line and the action packed furor of Mission: Impossible 2 I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Hans Zimmer for an epic film like Gladiator. But the end result is a score which I seriously believe to be among Zimmer's finest achievements in the past few years. I am so thrilled with this score that I am going to have a fit if he isn't nominated for an Oscar for this score.
What's so good about it? Well Zimmer, teaming up with Lisa Gerrard (of The Insider fame), has produced a score full of the elements he has utilized effectively on a variety of his past projects. There's action, drama, suspense and a bit of romance. Although listed as 17 different tracks, the music is actually one big track which keeps with Zimmer's usual style of maximizing his musical tracks to suite sizes. There are no real breaks in the music and I don't recommend listening to the score unless you can listen to it from beginning to end. The score works well as a whole and listening to it in parts takes away from the experience.
The music basically follows the course of the movie which is why at times I felt as if I was listening to a modern opera. With reflective music covering the initial scenes of the film which show Maximus (Russell Crowe) in a moment of calm prior to his battle with the Germans. This is followed directly by The Battle which is one of my favorite tracks. With full bass set, this track will definitely shake the house.
Then for a time the score turns darker as Maximus becomes an outcast and is made a Gladiator for the Emperor's amusement. The final six tracks of the score are by far my absolute favorite and make the CD worth buying. Covering the final scenes of the movie, Zimmer and Gerrard cover all of the dominant themes introduced prior to this point and bring it to a rousing close. The final track, Now We Are Free is a vocal rendition of the main theme and is performed in a very operatic manner. So much so that I think it will be a signature piece of Zimmer's for years to come. In all, a very worthy effort by Zimmer that deserves recognition. It is a fitting score for one of the best movies of the year.
Total time: 61:40
1: Progeny (2:15)
2: The Wheat (1:03)
3: The Battle (10:02)
4: Earth (3:02)
5: Sorrow (1:26)
6: To Zucchabar (3:16)
7: Patricide (4:08)
8: The Emperor is Dead (1:21)
9: The Might of Rome (5:18)
10: Strength and Honour (2:10)
11: Reunion (1:14)
12: Slaves to Rome (1:00)
13: Barbarian Horde (10:33)
14: Am I Not Merciful? (6:33)
15: Elysium (2:41)
16: Honour Him (1:20)
17: Now We Are Free (4:14)