UPC 030206651621

Director Peter Berg's tough, fish-out-of-water (or more precisely American-bounty-hunter-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-equator) action star vehicle for The Rock confirmed the ex-wrestler's star appeal, one that held its own against even the loopy, reptilian charms of perennial bad guy Christopher Walken. English composer Harry Gregson-Williams tightens up the film's aura of action and suspense with what's becoming one of his fortes, the electronic-acoustic fusion score. But given the story's Amazon setting, Gregson-Williams also takes the opportunity to expand the oft-predictable genre in compelling new ways. Much of the first half is dominated by a Brazilian-inspired rhythmic fury, its interlocking cadences punctuated by whistle blasts and shards of electric guitar and electronic rumblings. That percussive domination slowly segues into passages informed by acoustic guitar and more traditional orchestral writing, but driven by no less urgent, nervous energy. -- Jerry McCulley