My Favorite Themes - Part IX

Score: The Punisher by Carlo Siliotto (Fluke...that's the only other credit I know from this guy)

About the film: The last mission of Frank Castle (Thomas Jane) results in the death of the son of crooked businessman Howard Saint (John Travolta). In retaliation, a hit is ordered on Castle and his whole family. Castle survives, however, and seeks to ruin Saint's empire. An uneven but fairly enjoyable adaptation of the Marvel comic, the directorial debut of screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh (Armageddon), with Jane's low-key work a nice contrast to Travolta's more empathic performance.

Title: "Mrs. Saint". The theme for Livia Saint (Laura Harring) is a melody on saxophone and winds that suggests seduction with a touch of danger...a perfect fit for the character. The reading toward the start of "God's Gonna Sit This One Out" is quite nice, as well as in "You Don't Understand..." Be sure to listen for a quick take on cello in "She Took the Train".

Other themes of interest: Much like Shirley Walker's Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, there is a theme, motif or idea lurking in every corner of this score. One starts to wonder if this score or that of Mask... could lend a couple themes to scores that don't have them. There's the noble-yet-tragic main theme on trumpet, the theme for Howard Saint (the end of "His Whole Family", "You Don't Understand..."), the piano motif for Quentin Glass ("The Torture", "Quentin's Glass Home"), the tentative string melody for the nameless goons ("The Thugs", the beginning of "She Took the Train"), the melancholic 'memories' theme ("Moving", "A New Family")...

Availability: It should still be available from the fine people at La La Land Records.