Categories: Music

Killer Elite Movie Soundtrack Review

UPDATE: The Killer Elite Soundtrack is now available on Amazon.com and iTunes.

Like Jason Statham’s trained assassin, a man of few words, the action movie’s producers were remarkably silent when it came to releasing forthcoming details about the Killer Elite Movie Soundtrack in contrast to much of today’s social media marketing hype.

Usually soundtrack lists are available in advance of a movie’s release and often the original motion picture scores can be purchased or pre-booked ahead of time so that it’s automatically shipped as soon as it becomes available. This wasn’t the case with the Killer Elite O.S.T. because it originally wasn’t being distributed through traditional channels like Amazon.com, iTunes or even through exclusive partnerships with big box stores like Wal-Mart or alternative channels like Starbucks or the Home Shopping Network.

Instead, the Movie Soundtrack to Killer Elite was being independently distributed online through a British record company called Pale Blue who specialize in more obscure soundtrack releases. Make no mistake about it, the film Killer Elite is no mere lightweight release as it opened in just under 3,000 theaters on September 23, 2011. Perhaps other major releases will follow this trend if it means the difference between getting a composer’s score release out into the marketplace rather than not at all. Other composers like Conspirator composer Mark Isham have also released their work for sale directly from their own website.

I remember back in the day when you actually went to a record store to purchase an lp — that’s long, playing album or vinyl record for you youngsters out there. This involved much decision making such as reading the album cover for clues as to the record’s worth. After all, we had no internet to speak of, gasp, it’s so hard to imagine a world without MTV or YouTube videos. Thanks to the digital evolution, Pale Blue has released all 18 tracks of the Killer Elite Soundtrack to preview online with the digital MP3 download being priced at only $7.99.

For the most part there are no surprises when it comes to the Killer Elite Soundtrack by Johnny Klimek & Reinhold Heil who composed music for the films such as Run Lola Run, Wintersleepers, The International and One Hour Photo. The score is more orchestral than edgy.

Songs that start out with great promise then disappoint include “Room Service” which starts out with what sounds like jarring radio interference or crickets before it disappoints by settling into a tv thriller of the week motif with chord clues and piano bass notes suggesting that the bad guy is lurking around the corner. Another example is “Returning Bullet”, it’s like we’ve heard this before a thousand times over.

In contrast with Johnny Klimek & Reinhold Heil’s score, English rock band Kasabian provides an exotic touch with their song “Turkish Acid Bath (Shelter From the Storm)” that conjures up all the mystery of the Middle East. They could have easily looped the first minute and it would have been great until the rest of the track kind of descends into a bad 90s Euro pop/folk song. If they filtered out the vocals, nix the singing and keep in the female bridge with the siren call and occasional grunts and it would be perfect.

Additional Tracks include: “Ambush”, “The Job”, “Spiked Sheik”, “The Harris Hit”, “Featherman”, “The Cregg Hit”, “Car Chase Hospital Fight”, “I Come Bearing Gifts”, “The Boston Brakes”, “Hunter’s Release”, “I Just Care About Now”, “Returning the Bullet”, “Main In the Helmut”, “Rooftop Chase”, “Subway” and “The Suitcase”. The Killer Elite Soundtrack was released by Pale Blue Records on September 20, 2011. Have a listen and let me know what you think. Leave comments below.