PERHAPS it's the politically cynical times in which we live but epic American film scores no longer pack their old punch.

This is the 100th film score by Hans Zimmer, whose most admired works include Gladiator and The Thin Red Line. Famous for integrating electronic and orchestral sounds, this time he has gone further and blended Japanese music styles and instruments with Western orchestral

melodies, in keeping with the film's plot - American officer Tom Cruise caught in military conflict in Japan. Generally this results in a muddy mess of sweeping string melodies which go on for ages but never

get anywhere, randomly interspersed with token "authentic" Japanese sounds. Tracks which work well, however, eschew such cultural ransacking and stick to one continent, such as The Way Of The Sword, genuinely stirring despite its obvious references to Barber's Adagio For Strings. Also effective is the use of Samurai warrior shouts and Taiko drumbeats in Red

Warrior. This doesn't stand up as a score for listening in its own right, but will serve well enough as a reminder of the film.

Updated: 10:03 Thursday, January 29, 2004