This is another entry in my Complete Score Breakdown Series, focusing on the complete scores to films that have had abbreviated previous releases or have gone unreleased.
Today we are looking at Wanted (2008) by Danny Elfman.
As usual with Elfman, his CD presentations are often wildly different than his scores as presented in film; 2008’s Wanted is no different, and in fact is wildly different when comparing CD version vs. film version. In fact, this may be the first time that the runtime of unreleased music surpasses the runtime of the existing CD itself!
I am a big action score fan, I am a big fan of electronics, and I am a fan of Elfman’s, so when you mix the three, I’m generally pleased. His score for The Kingdom was a bit too harsh and leaned way too heavily on the synths for my taste (although it was an interesting departure for the composer) but I think he can blend acoustic and synthetic quite well in action/suspense when he sets his mind to it: Proof of Life, The Next Three Days, and now particularly, Wanted. This score is a very well-done blend of theme, trademark Elfmanisms, thrashing rock style (maybe a bit too much for me), cool synth textures, and grand choral mystery, with a ultra-contemporary vibe. I think Elfman acquitted himself quite nicely for the look and feel that the film was going for.
The existing CD runs 48 minutes, and the film version of the score came in at 69 and ½ minutes. The case with Wanted is that there were a total of 4 unused CD tracks and two more tracks that were partially unused; there were 4 alternate film versions of cues in the score; and there were a great many standard unreleased cues as well. This brought the total known amount of music written for the film to over 103 minutes, resulting in 55 minutes of unreleased music. Doing a CSB on a score like Wanted can be quite complex as you can see, but also very rewarding because when you enjoy a score like I do this one, you discover that there is really all of this great unreleased music that is out there, hopefully to be released one day. Nearly an hour’s worth, with this one. I’d say Wanted is far less likely to receive an expansion than most other scores because my feeling is it just isn’t on many people’s radar or wish list, but certainly there is a lot to work with and I personally would think that an expansion would yield a very interesting comprehensive Elfman work.
Highlights of the unreleased material are the missing music from the full train sequence, which is just awesome suspenseful action music. Same can be said for the first time Fox is in action in the red sports car (“Fox Stunts”) where Elfman shows he can write action music just as well as anyone else can. “Dad’s Story” is a nice change of pace from the score as it’s a more orchestral piece, focusing on woodwinds, that gives a solemnity to the backstory of Wesley’s father as told by Morgan Freeman; it’s a very nice cue. I really wish the cue “Pekwarsky” had been included on the CD, too…it has an epic feel to it, orchestral again, and the players really open up as the photography takes in an aerial view of the castle where Pekwarsky lives, giving the score a grand and symphonic sound that it often didn’t have otherwise.
CURRENT CD RELEASE RUNTIME: 48min 05sec COMPLETE SCORE RUNTIME (AS HEARD IN FILM): 69min 25sec ALL KNOWN ORIGINAL MUSIC WRITTEN FOR THE FILM (INCLUDING UNEDITED CD TRACKS, UNUSED TRACKS, AND/OR ALTERNATE FILM VERSIONS, WITH NO IDENTICAL DUPLICATION REGARDING FILM TRACKS & CD TRACKS): 103min 10sec
UNRELEASED SCORE RUNTIME: 55min 05sec
Complete Score Cue Titles and Cue Times (unreleased cues named by me for the sake of identification):
+ – previously unreleased (or includes previously unreleased material)
1. Logos (1:06) + 2. Wesley’s Office Life (5:45) + – (extended alternate film version; segments 0:00-1:35 and 3:20-3:55 contain unreleased material) 3. True Friend (0:35) + 4. Unfulfilled Wishes (0:30) + 5. Meet Fox (0:50) + 6. Fox Stunts (2:30) + 7. Reluctant Inductee (0:48) + 8. A New Day (2:37) + 9. The Little Things (1:50) – (slightly alternate film version) 10. Ushered In (1:02) + 11. The Repairman (1:07) + 12. The Gunsmith (0:33) + 13. Train Run (1:11) + 14. Wesley’s the One (0:40) + 15. Fox in Charge (0:52) + 16. Another Bather (0:45) + 17. Dad’s Story (2:12) + 18. Success Montage (3:30) 19. Welcome to the Fraternity (4:56) + – (extended alternate film version) 20. Fox’s Story (3:16) 21. Fox In Control (2:00) + – (alternate film version) 22. Cat and Mouse (0:27) + 23. The Exterminator Dies (1:11) + 24. Pekwarsky (2:12) + 25. Defensive (0:52) + 26. The Train Pt. 1 (4:00) + – (alternate film version; segment 0:00-2:00 same as CD, segment 2:00-4:00 contains unreleased music) 27. The Train Pt. 2 (2:03) + 28. The Truth Revealed (1:10) + 29. The Truth Illuminated (3:08) + 30. The Scheme (1:45) 31. Rats (3:29) 32. Revenge (3:47) + – (alternate film version; segment 0:00-2:20 contains unreleased music) 33. Just a Thug (1:18) + 34. Fox’s Decision (2:23) 35. Wiped Out (1:10) + 36. Taking Control (0:56) +
Current CD Release Track Titles and Track Times:
1. The Little Things (3:27) – (full CD version) 2. Success Montage (3:32) 3. Fraternity Suite (3:29) – (unused in film) 4. Wesley’s Office Life (5:15) – (CD version) 5. The Scheme (1:45) 6. Fox In Control (2:17) – (CD version) 7. Welcome to the Fraternity (4:29) – (CD version) 8. Fox’s Story (3:30) 9. Exterminator Beat (2:52) – (unused in film) 10. Rats (3:29) 11. The Train (3:59) – (CD version) 12. Revenge (4:33) – (CD version) 13. Fox’s Decision (2:30) 14. Breaking the Code (1:22) – (unused in film) 15. Fate (1:46) – (unused in film)
This is one of those scores where (in my view) the album presentation is so perfect that a complete version would be superfluous (cf. Judge Dredd). Still, good breakdown of a marvelous score.
