Varèse Sarabande Records release Nathan Furst's score for the Need for Speed movie. Based on the racing video game franchise, DreamWorks Pictures’s Need for Speed captures the thrills of the game in a real-world setting. An exciting return to the great car-culture films of the 1960s and ‘70s, when authenticity brought a new level of intensity to the action, the film taps into what makes the American myth of the open road so enticing. The story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country race against time - one that begins as a mission for revenge, but proves to be one of redemption...

Nathan Furst's score for Need for Speed is another impressive release from this impressive composer. Unlike his previous work for Act of Valour and Waiting for Lightening, Need for Speed is a little more laid back - to the point that were a few too many tracks that washed over me without stirring anything or providing any lasting impression. Now I know that this, like all scores, is first and foremost designed to act as an accompaniment to the onscreen action... It's just that I don't see the point in releasing scores as separate entities if they don't stand up on their own merits and provide an equally exhilarating listening experience. Thankfully, Need for Speed has enough quality tracks to make it a purchase I'd recommend.

'Marshall Motors' and 'California Crossing' had segments that reminded me very much of the opening of Olly Murs's 'Busy', while 'You Always Go Back' reminded me of Thomas Newman's score for The Shawshank Redemption. Personal favourite tracks include 'Crazy Little Tart'; 'Utah Escape' and 'In The Lead'.

While I didn't get as much out of this as his previous scores, Furst's work on Need for Speed is still worthy of your time.

7

Darren Rea