Leaving aside for a moment the question of whether LLL has a LW box set coming, I just wanted to take a minute to shine the spotlight in this, my favorite score in the series. It's arguably the best film in the series too, though as much as I love it I personally prefer the darker, more focused original.
Even though the movie introduces the more manic comic element that would come to define the series, Kamen's score is maybe the most operatic of the bunch (the closing shipyard sequence is a real highlight), while at the same time moving inward, against the action, for the evocative villain material and a few other key dramatic moments. "Goodnight Rika" is an especially brilliant example, with the way it shifts between moods and then roils before finally tumbling over.
You can really sense the influence of his experience on DIE HARD here too, in a good way. The writing is as expressive as the first LW but leaner and more cohesive. I would imagine having less kinks to work out in the collaborative process on a second film helped in that regard.
That's funny, I was never really crazy about this one. I liked the first and third, though. It's hard to top the "Hollywood Blvd Chase" and "Armor Piercing Bullets" from those two. Fine, I'll go back and listen to it again later.
Love the Hollywood Blvd chase arrangement for the pickup truck chase and the earlier short fight on the balcony. The orchestra is powerhouse in this film.
That's funny, I was never really crazy about this one. I liked the first and third, though. It's hard to top the "Hollywood Blvd Chase" and "Armor Piercing Bullets" from those two. Fine, I'll go back and listen to it again later.
Those are definitely standout tracks and maybe I'm just splitting hairs, but I just really dig how deftly Kamen puts the pieces together and moves between moods. I think "operatic" may not have been exactly the right word, because I don't mean that it's necessarily the most "epic" of the scores, but more that it's the most complete in telling a story.
I haven't listened to the LW2 soundtrack album in ages so frankly I'm not entirely sure how well the score is represented on CD. The OP was inspired by many recent viewings of the movie on cable.
I'm really hoping for La La Land to release the Lethal Weapon scores. There's a lot of good music that was missing from the 2nd and 3rd soundtracks and I prefer these scores over Kamen's Die Hard material. This would definitely make a great box set.
Cannot wait for this set. Kamen in top form. Some of the best action music written for any film, period. And soulful themes. Clapton with Kamen is an unmatched combo.
Agreed with everything said. I've been hoping beyond hope Lala had this up their sleeve this year especially since they are celebrating Warner Bros. But with it being October my hopes are slipping. LW2 is at the top of my grail list. I feel like the orchestra sounds the best of the series. It has such a crisp sound to it. The hollywood blvd chase gets its best workout in this film. Love the hell out of the bad guy motifs. The soundtrack is pitiful though... A bunch of jam sessions that did not even appear in the film with only a handful of score cues... A travesty! Come on get these scores released! While we're talking LW my other most wanted cues are the armored car chase from LW3 and Chinatown Chase from LW4!
I mostly don't like 80's & 90's stuff, but I do like the Lethal Weapon scores (& the movies). I think in this case it's, no news is good news, as I'm sure if there was a problem that meant that La La had no chance of releasing these, then MV would have said something before now.
