Like most soundtrack listeners out there, I was quite disappointed with the direction Eric Serra took with the Goldeneye soundtrack. I was even more disappointed when I was faced with the fact that I knew that this was the same man who had written a surprisingly great score for The Professional. Written a year before Goldeneye, this score has similar qualities, but they are used more effectively in this case. Using orchestra and synthesizers, Serra effectively combines the two to give the soundtrack a unique sound. The industrial sound that was so lauded in Goldeneye was much more appreciated in this soundtrack. To give you an example, listen to the drive of What's Happening out There? compared to the similar tracks in Goldeneye and you'll hear a big difference. There is a main theme established early on by the strings section and is heard periodically throughout the score.
The movie deals with a hitman and a young girl he takes care of after her family is killed. Such characters are at opposite ends of the spectrum but in some ways alike. Jean Reno plays the hitman Leon and Natalie Portman as Mathilda, the orphaned girl. Reno brings a childlike quality to his character while still maintaining a tough-guy persona which makes him similar to Portman's character. As such the main theme is a sort of link between the characters of the two. For the most part, the soundtrack is far more subdued than any of Serra's later works but that's one of the appealing things about it. The industrial sound that is indicative of Serra's work gives Reno's character a sort of robot feel as well when he is working as a hitman. In all, this is a very effective score and despite all the bad press Serra has received regarding Goldeneye, this score proves that he has what it takes to write a great score.
Total time: 59:19
1: Noon (4:01)
2: Cute Name (3:28)
3: Ballad For Mathilda (2:14)
4: What's Happening Out There? (3:05)
5: A Bird in New York (1:20)
6: She is Dead (1:31)
7: Fatman (5:15)
8: Leon the Cleaner (1:50)
9: Can I Have a Word with You? (1:14)
10: The Game is Over (1:36)
11: Feel the Breath (3:18)
12: Room 4602 (1:17)
13: Very Special Delivery (2:41)
14: When Leon Does His Best (2:11)
15: Back on the Crime Scene (2:33)
16: Birds of Storm (1:37)
17: Tony the IBM (1:57)
18: How Do You Know its Love? (1:28)
19: The Fight (Part 1: The SWAT Squad) (2:29)
20: The Fight (Part 2: Bring Me Everyone) (4:33)
21: The Fight (Part 3: The Big Weapon) (3:02)
22: The Fight (Part 4: One is Alive) (3:14)
23: Two Ways Out (3:10)