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Soundtrack Review: Unknown (2011)

Reviewer: JØrn Tillnes

Unknown Soundtrack Review: This is a review of the motion picture score Unknown by John Ottman and Alexander Rudd.

"My pulse never went above 85 with this one and that is hardly enough to get my blood pumping"

In Unknown we meet Liam Neeson who wakes up after a coma finding that someone stole his identity. Not even his wife believes him, but he is on a mission to get it all back and prove that he was right all along. I love these kind of movies, but usually the scores are very hard to listen to. Director Jaume Collet-Serra turns to John Ottman once again, but brings along co-composer Alexander Rudd for the ride.

Track List

1. Welcome to Berlin	***
2. The Accident	***
3. Following Mrs. Harris	**
4. Fond Memories / Epiphany	***
5. Securing the File	****
6. Man Alone	**
7. Evil Car	****
8. Book of Clues	***
9. The Hospital	**
10. Gina's Story	***
11. We Are Killers / The Bomb	****
12. Old Friend / Truth Be Told	***
13. They're Watching	**
14. Debating Martin	***
15. Martin Vs. Martin	***
16. Nice to Meet You	****

Where's John?

Let me just start by saying the obvious. There's far too little John Ottman these days. We got The Loser last year and this year it's The Unknown. I have the utmost respect for Ottman who is an incredibly talented composer. Technically he is among the best in the business. His scores are almost always full orchestra stuff, none of that techno thing that seems to be all the rage these days.

However, maybe his choice of movies aren't the best, or he doesn't get picked for the really good ones. Unknown is a very dark drama/thriller movie, and it is very hard to write an enjoyable score off-screen.

Lost Identity

Unknown is about losing your identity and if the director wanted the score to have none, he was very successful. The mood here is not a pretty one. It's extremely tight with the movie, that usually leads to a worse listening experience. I can't fault John Ottman for giving the director exactly what he wanted, but in the end it is a let down for me who is hoping Ottman get more adventurous movies to score in the near future.

Let's not forget that there is a co-composer here. Alexander Rudd is the name and he's unknown at least to me. I don't know who scored what cue, but they were all pretty similar so who knows.

Conclusion

Unknown is a rather bland thriller score without very much to cheer about. It's a strictly average score at best and I will drop it into the pile of meh... My pulse never went above 85 with this one and that is hardly enough to get my blood pumping. Forget this one John and try to get a better score assignment in the future. I will be waiting with baited breath. I'm sure Alexander will have a moment to shine as well in the near future.

->Buy the CD on Amazon<-

->Buy the MP3 Album on Amazon<-

Listen to the Unknown soundtrack by John Ottman and Alexander Rudd below:

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