Angel Of The City is an independent film made as a nod to 80s vigilante/action movies. I have not watched the entire thing, but as part of this assignment I did watch a couple of trailers. The film looks promising, and I’m excited to see it in its entirety. But what I’ve been asked to do is talk about Sam Kuzel’s soundtrack for the film, and the soundtrack is more than good enough to discuss on its own.
On its own, the music is high-quality and I can tell a lot of effort went into authenticity. There are plenty of recognizable bits of 80s style. Kuzel is clearly influenced by John Carpenter’s film scores, and he definitely could’ve picked a worse soundtrack writer to emulate. Notably, the second track, “Posturing,” seems to be a nod to Escape From New York, with a steady arpeggio and bass tone creating the backbone of the track. The overall tone is appropriately gritty and grim, suitable for the city night backdrop that seems to dominate the film. While definitely retro, the music doesn’t completely avoid the modern; there is a crispness to even the softer tracks that makes the listener aware they are listening to something new. A group called Wind-Up Fascist contributes a track called “Doublethink,” and while it’s not awful, I’m going to be honest – I didn’t much care for it. The vocals seem, well, lazy, but the musicianship overall isn’t bad. I’d say Wind-Up Fascist needs some more time to gestate, to polish their sound, and they could do well.
Clumsily inserted rock tracks aside, this soundtrack is colorful and illustrative, well suited to its subject matter, and very professional-sounding. I’d give it a solid 7 out of 10, more than acceptable and worth examining by itself. Sam Kuzel has produced something worth being proud of here, and I look forward to viewing Angel Of The City in its completion.
COMMUNITY RATING
