ENNIO MORRICONE Vinyl & CDs

Review: The score for 1989's Casualties of War - a Vietnam War flick starring Michael J Fox and Sean Penn - is not one of Ennio Morricone's better-known soundtracks. Even so, it's still a masterful work, as this reissue proves. In typical Morricone fashion, there are moments of poignant reflection (all sweeping strings, twittering flutes and melancholic motifs), tension-filled themes, subtle looks towards to the composer's spaghetti western-era work, and driving, forceful and grandiose compositions where you can almost smell the napalm. In keeping with the film's setting, there are occasional nods towards traditional Vietnamese music, though these tend to provide aural colour amongst the cinematic orchestration and lilting strings.