Cliffhanger

by Jason AnkenyTrevor Jones' grandiose Cliffhanger vividly captures the age-old battle between man and nature. Few action scores of the era possess a comparable sense of place, evoking the peaks and vistas of the film's mountain terrain with as much passion as its over-the-top adventure scenes. While elements of Jones' soaring main theme closely recall his aborted work on The Last of the Mohicans, there's no denying the score's orchestral splendor -- the London Philharmonic is particularly impressive throughout Cliffhanger, lending the music a visceral intensity perfectly matched to the action genre.