by Swashbuckler on 3/5/2001
favorite track: 1
 
Ennio Morricone's scores for Brian De Palma have always been interesting, but it is The Untouchables that is perhaps the most diverting and repeatable collaboration between the two.

Re-imagining the "true crime" concept of the original television series as an epic battle between good and evil, screenwriter David Mamet's vision of Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) and his band of "Untouchables" and their battle against Al Capone (Robert De Niro) and a corrupt city, is vividly and violently brought to the screen by De Palma.

Ennio Morricone's score also takes on an epic quality, matching the larger than life portrayals by the the cast members with similarly bold thematic material.

As usual with Morricone scores, the themes do not mingle with one another within each cue. Rather, each track is a different setting for each theme for a different purpose.

The album opens with the heroic melody for feats of the Untouchables. This theme re-appears in "Victorious" and "The Untouchables." Originally written as the end titles (and replaced in the film by an edit of the two other tracks), this is one of the most uplifting pieces on is likely to hear, voiced mainly by the brass and strings. The other two cues have a similar cast to them, but unfortunately the apprehensive version that appears as Ness and his men, teaming up with the Mounties, is not included on this album.

The main title theme is called "The Strength of the Righteous," and is heard as track 8 on the album. A terse piano, frenzied strings and a lone harmonica are the basis for this cue which sounds very much like something Morricone would have written for one of his scores for Sergio Leone. This theme is also used, in sparer form, for tension purposes in "Waiting at the Border," "The Man With the Matches" and "False Alarm." A faster version is used for the action scene "On the Rooftops."

"Al Capone" is, simply enough, the character's theme. Big and bold, the cue is unrelenting, like the evil nature of the character. A pretty flute theme is used for "Ness and His Family," a piece that carries the trademark Morricone beauty. A more introspective saxophone work is heard in "Death Theme" and "Four Friends," almost overwhelming in their power.

"Machine Gun Lullabye" is a lengthy cue that is literally what it sounds like. A music box theme repeating endlessly while the string accompaniment becomes increasingly dissonant as violence erupts (De Palma re-creates Sergei Eisenstein's immortal "Odessa Steps" sequence from Battleship Potempkin).

The album presents the music in a very bizarre order. Although the opening track is the end title (which works perfectly as an overture), the main title, which opened side two on the original LP of the score, is not introduced until track 8. Given that this thematic material is heard in different arrangements several times before this, it seriously harms the flow of the music. Tapering off with "Machine Gun Lullabye," the album is better off with some reprogramming before one listens to it.

Otherwise, the sound quality is outstanding (unusual for an Ennio Morricone score), however, allowing all of the detail of Morricone's unusual orchestration to come through splendidly. This is a fantastic score and an admirable achievement.