John Powell – The Bourne Ultimatum (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

If you really must get a score CD to one of the Bourne movies then go with Bourne Supremacy. I was expecting good things of this one but after giving it a couple of spins I can see why Varese Sarabande opted out of releasing this one (Decca picks this score up); it's mainly just recycled stuff from the previous films. But don't expect anything as frantic as 'Bim Bam Smash' from second movie here.

My main problem with this score is that is just so generic and random. Yes, the Bourne theme is in there, but it's hardly a masterwork. I feel like anyone who wanted to convey the hectic, unpredictable nature of the movie through music could have come up with this score. Some tracks (the CD is a mere 50 minutes) work alright as an adrenaline burst but don't expect anything even remotely articulate or emotive.

It reminded me a lot of Hans Zimmer's score to Black Hawk Down, but that at least had some haunting sounds to it. Unless you are really desperate to have a new, upbeat version of Moby's Extreme Ways on CD then just give this a miss and pick the CD for The Bourne Supremacy.