Rush Hour

Composer: Lalo Schifrin
Lable (Release Year): Aleph Records (1998)
Availability: ****
Rating: ****

Lalo Schifrin, master of funk, has not scored a blockbuster movie for a while. But this score does not dissapoint the fans at all. This score also marks his revisit of "Chinese Kung Fu" genre since Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon. The "Main Title" is filled with electronic funk and a little bombastic. It does not sound as "classic" as the theme to Enter The Dragon, but it is still kind of catchy and filled with exotic Chinese sound. The variations of the theme can be heard in various tracks. After the first track, it is the bombastic orchestral track "Fight at the Harbor". There are other similar tracks, for example, "Jumping the Bus," "Asian Art Convention," "Explosive Situation" and "Battle At Juntao's." Those tracks are very serious (not very funky) and low brass and percussions are heavily used. I was really surprised by the fact that many of the tracks are very orchestral. Some of them are even kind of dark ("Restaurant Poison"). "Chasing Sang" is one of the action cues that I like very much. It is half serious and half funky, half orchestral and half electronic. I just hook on those funky rhythm right away.

"Soo Yung's Theme" is a soft beautuful theme with exotic Chinese flavor. Unfortunately, it only appears twice in the album. There are also tracks that sounds like authenic Chinese music: "Won Ton For Two," "Greasy Egg Rolls," and "Chinese Street Music."

Wether it is Lalo Schifrin's or Brett Ratner's (director) idea, "Lee Arrives in L.A." is obviously temped with the Enter The Dragon theme. It is actually a very fun track since I like the Enter The Dragon theme so much. In general, this is a very fun and enjoyable score, especially if you like funky electric bass. The action cues are tongue-to-cheek and you will not be dissapointed. The only down side of this CD is that most of the tracks are very short. The flow of the score seems a little choppy. Anyway, if you like a good half orchestral, half electronic action score, you may want to try this one out. (By the way, I think the cover art is really ugly.)



    Track Listing:
  1. RUSH HOUR Main Title (2:02)
  2. Fight at the Harbor (1:20)
  3. Soo Yung's Theme (3:18)
  4. Soo Yung's Abduction (0:55)
  5. Lee Arrives in L.A. (1:29)
  6. Jumping the Bus (2:08)
  7. Won Ton For Two (1:51)
  8. Explosive Situation (1:19)
  9. Lee At The Mansion (2:19)
  10. Restaurant Poison (2:15)
  11. Battle At Juntao's (2:21)
  12. Greasy Egg Rolls (0:56)
  13. Chasing Sang (2:36)
  14. $50 Million Ransom (1:51)
  15. On Juntao's Heels (4:10)
  16. Asian Art Convention (1:48)
  17. Lee's Sadness (1:47)
  18. High Tension (2:30)
  19. Sweet and Sour (2:09)
  20. Chinese Street Music (2:03)
  21. Carter Chases Clive (1:33)
  22. The British Menace (1:25)
  23. RUSH HOUR End Titles (3:25)
    Total Time: 47:31



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