Schifrin, Lalo
Rush Hour
When director Brett Ratner was presented with the opportunity to direct "Rush Hour," he saw it as a chanace to revisit one of his favorite movies of all time, "Enter the Dragon." "Rush Hour" teams Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in a combination of eastern action and western comedy. However as Ratner knew, there was one specific player essential to the succes of an "Enter the Dragon" for the 1990's:legendary composer, Lalo Schifrin. "To me, he's as important as the main actors. His music is another character; it just adds to much!" Schifrin's score, a blend of funky urban grooves and exotic Chinese instrumentations, puts the kick behind every wise crack and close call Chan and Tucker endure. His main theme sets the stage with a wildly exciting collage of guitars, Asian scales, mysterious chord progressions, tom-tom crashes, and a driving beat. "Rush Hour" finds Lalo Schifrin at the tope of his form, proving that for the composer of such classic film and television music as "Mission Impossible," "Cool Hand Luke," and "Dirty Harry," there are no limits to capability - Doug Adams