Intrada Soundtrack Forum

Ok. Keep those top five lists coming. Try this one:

Jerry Goldsmith was a master at scoring action scenes. Here's your place to sound off on what you consider his most exciting, gut-busting, ferocious adrenaline-pumping action cues ever. (Not just busy music but total all-out action cues.)

My top five:

Breakout (CAPRICORN ONE)
Raisuli's Attack (THE WIND AND THE LION)
Hot Water (OUTLAND)
You're Renewed (LOGAN'S RUN)
Antonio's Death (PAPILLON)

I was struggling between that last entry and Night Of The Beast from POLTERGEIST but I'm not sure that one qualifies as just a pure all-out action cue.
--Doug

"Air Force One"
Cue: "The Hyjacking"

"Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend" (how could you forget your own label's released
Cue: "The Rescue"


Blanking at the moment, so I'll get back to it.

_________________
"Questions are a burden to others; answers a prison for oneself"
"Unlike me, many of you have accepted the situation of your imprisonment and will die here like rotten cabbages."
"Everyone votes for a dictator."
THE PRISONER

To The Davenport: Gads... you got me on that one!! Yes, The Rescue from BABY should make the list. Guess I'll have to drop Antonio's Death and make room for The Rescue. (Or cheat, and do a top six list.) Anyway, thanks for the reminder on that one!
--Doug

Hmm. I'll second your nomination of "Hot Water", since those trombone figures just before the unison upper string trills near the end remind me of someone retching from the strain of running for their life.

I also favor the chase from BOYS FROM BRAZIL since it has those barking brass sections, like slavering dobermans (dobermen?).

_________________
DavidinBerkeley

"Ask [the director] where the camera comes from and I'll tell him where the music comes from" (David Raksin)

Tanks - Twilight's Last Gleaming
Nuclear Nightmare - Twilight's Last Gleaming
Repel Boarders - Sand Pebbles
The Hijacking - Air Force One
Out the Door - Alien
El Jefe - Bandolero
Break Out Part 2/Here They Come! - Breakout
Breakout - Capricorn One
Hanging On - First Blood
Mountain Hunt - First Blood
Over the Cliff - First Blood
The Gold Arrives - The Great Train Robbery
No Rest for the Weary - In Like Flint
The Hunt - Planet of the Apes
No Escape - Planet of the Apes
Twisted Abduction - Poltergeist
Night of the Beast - Poltergeist
Escape from Suburbia - Poltergeist
The Bees Picnic - The Swarm
Train Wreck/No Effect - The Swarm
Burn 'Em Out - The Swarm
The Big Jump - Total Recall
The Massacre - Total Recall
The Treatment - Total Recall
Escape and Pursuit - 100 Rifles

"End of a Dream" Total Recall.... pretty hard to top that.... bu I'm sure someone will!

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I-love-Goldsmith, yes-I-do...
I-love-Ber-nard-Herr-mann-too! EVERYBODY SING!!!

Oh Doug....
Strangely enough, when I saw the subject of this thread, the very first cue that popped into my mind was "Antonio's Death"
Also, are you talking about how the music fits the scene as well, or just how the music stands on it's own?

_________________
I-love-Goldsmith, yes-I-do...
I-love-Ber-nard-Herr-mann-too! EVERYBODY SING!!!

Some of my choices are not total, start-to-finish action cues but build their way to their peaks. (And Terry Cloth, sometimes you can't help being influenced by their effect with the films!)

FIRST KNIGHT - Arthur's Farewell
GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH - Pot Luck
IN HARM'S WAY - The Rock
ISLANDS IN THE STREAM - Is 10 Too Old? (soundtrack recording)
THE LAST RUN - Rickard Escapes
THE OMEN - The Altar
100 RIFLES - Escape and Pursuit
UNDER FIRE - Rafael
WILD ROVERS - Wild Horses
THE WIND AND THE LION - A Bid for Freedom/Something of Value

(Sorry, Doug -- I just remembered you asked for lists of five only. I'll just acknowledge I can't do that; I already squeezed out too many I love!)

Hmmm ... only five? Let's see ... I'll make things easier on myself by picking some that haven't been mentioned yet, and restricting myself to one per decade:

Retreat (THE BLUE MAX)
The Dogs Attack* (THE OMEN)
The Tractor (THE SECRET OF NIMH)
My Favorite Plague (THE MUMMY)
Final Flight (STAR TREK: NEMESIS)

* Since only the second half of this is an action cue, substitute "The Demise of Mrs. Baylock" if so desired. Of course, the action portion of "The Dogs Attack" is about the same length...

Oops. Read it too fast and didn't catch the list of 5 rule. Here's the five:

Nuclear Nightmare - Twilight's Last Gleaming
Repel Boarders - Sand Pebbles
Out the Door - Alien
Breakout - Capricorn One
Hanging On - First Blood

***

I agree with most choices but since there is no point for me to write down the exact same content as you guys have so instead I present to you another top 5 list that has not already been mentioned. In no particular order:

The Sleeper from Executive Decision
Tree House from Forever Young
Roxy Loses from Basic Instinct
The Bust from Rent-A-Cop
Ice Chase from Chain Reaction

Ok, I now that the main bulk of my choices came from his films from the nineties but I am more familiar with those ones.

Doug's initial 5 looks a whole lot like mine, so here is my alternate list:

Nightmare at 20,000 Feet - TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE
Klingon Battle - STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE
Darkness Fails - LEGEND
The Road to Masada - MASADA
Moving Day - THE SECRET OF NIMH

_________________
Randy Wilson
Dallas, TX

Mine is almost identical to Doug's, with a couple of exceptions:

Breakout (CAPRICORN ONE)
Raisuli's Attack (THE WIND AND THE LION)
Hot Water (OUTLAND)
Hanging On (FIRST BLOOD)
Clever Girl (TOTAL RECALL)

Honorable Mentions:

The Hunt (PLANET OF THE APES)
Helicopter Rescue (THE CASSANDRA CROSSING)
The Ravine (THE EDGE)
The Hunt (THE FINAL CONFLICT)
The Wagon (TAKE A HARD RIDE)

I know, it's a Top Ten...

Supergirl - The Monster Tractor
In my opinion the absolute Goldsmith melody driven action/adventure cue !
The Mummy - Tauger Attack
The rythm of this cue always amazes me, I've never heard such a nervous rythm !
Air Force One - The Hijacking
The building of this cue is so clever and efficient... Strangely this cue reminds me some James Horner action cues at some points (Brainstorm and Apollo 13)
Total Recall - End of a Dream
A glorious apothesis to an overall perfect action score !
Rambo II - Village Raid/Helicopter Fight
Great heroic 80's action at its best !


All these action cues always blow me away !!!