Soundtrack Review: Stop-Loss by John Powell (2008)

Posted by Jorn Tillnes

March 31, 2008

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033108-1621-soundtrackr1 Soundtrack Review: Stop-Loss by John Powell (2008)

This is a review of the motion picture score for Stop-Loss by John Powell.

John Powell has been a busy man so far this year. First he composed to Jumper which didn’t get a favourable review, then he composed for the much better Horton Hears a Who which I reviewed last Monday. Stop-Loss is a drama movie and of course completely different movie than the two mentioned. John Powell is the first to reach 3 movies this year and he has 2 more coming, Will Smith’s superhero movie Hancock and the Animation movie Bolt. Here is the track list for Stop-Loss:

Michelle’s House
Graveside
Going Awol
Tommy Breaks
The Base
Leaving Town
Pool Trip
Troopers
Losing Steve
Brandon Meets Josh
To The Hotel
Call Carlson
Urban Warfare
Theme For Peace
Preachers End
Both Kinds Of Danger
Squad Book
The Greatest Tragedy
Can’t You See (The Marshall Tucker Band)

19 tracks, 18 of them by John Powell for a total playtime of 39:41. This isn’t a war movie exactly, but war is a theme and John Powell starts off with a horn which reminds me of those military funerals I see on TV. He uses it throughout, but not as much as drums, it’s very heavy on the percussion and he uses sticks beaten against each other, like he has a message to tell and I think he does. What I also find interesting is the bluesy sound it has, he uses a heavy blues guitar sometimes and it’s nice, like the war hero coming down to his small town. The main theme is quite short but nice, I’m not talking about a single cue, but a melody he uses several times, like in the piano only piece “Theme for Peace”.

Just by listening to this score makes me want to see this movie. I can see the drama here and it is emotional. I also like that most tracks go into each other like a transition to the next. John Powell can do powerful drama as we know from movies like “United 93″ and he does it very well here too. It might be a little on the short side, but it’s sweet while it last. It’s been a good year so far I think, and this places itself among the best. Listen to Stop-Loss below: