The first 5 cuts are source songs, followed by a short vocal clip by actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost’s Mr. Eko), and the rest of Lakeshore’s album contains Clint Mansell’s score – a decent 33 mins. worth.

Faster is a straight, lean, mean revenge film, and the represented cues mostly attack specific moments or emotional states. The brief “Ten Year Stretch” quotes the 3-note theme that captures the anti-hero’s seething rage about to explore, and cues such as “History Lesson” are simple combat cues, where Mansell employs a grungy guitar and wooden percussion.

“Predators & Prey” has an amorphous start, but the 7 minute cue slowly builds to a climactic finale, with the main theme eventually moving to the foreground with percussion, and twisting into more strained harmonics before a percussive finale. A similarly lengthy variation (“Hospital Visit”) makes heavy use of the theme, but adds contrast with piano, electric guitar, and diverse percussion before a straight rock beat leads into the combative “The Driver Drives,” with a steady kinetic rhythm.

“On a Mission” covers the same revenge path as the prior cuts, although it concludes with a final theme statement that fades into “Redemption,” the CD’s end cut that builds to an unresolved chord.

It’s obvious Mansell’s score was meant to work with source cues, and while it’s functional, it lacks the edge and density more typical of Paul Haslinger (of which Shoot ‘Em Up and Vacancy and mean little beauties).

© 2010 Mark R. Hasan