AA.VV.
O.S.T. Last Action Hero

"Last Action Hero" certainly hasn't left an indelible mark in the history of cinema. To summarize the plot very briefly: young Danny (Austin O'Brien) receives a magical ticket, which catapults him into the world of his favorite film saga, whose protagonist is the superheroic cop Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger). In a fantastic California populated by fairy tale characters and stunning girls, the boy experiences a series of wondrous adventures with his idol. It’s nothing groundbreaking, a product without disgrace or praise, an occasional pastime. It will appeal to fans of action films with high doses of humor and light-heartedness, while others will find it the umpteenth bombastic and outrageously expensive Hollywood outing. In any case, it’s worth rediscovering its interesting soundtrack, especially appealing for fans of hard rock and metal, which features many variations thanks to the participation of different groups and musicians. This very heterogeneity makes it somewhat difficult to write about this soundtrack. Indeed, how does one impartially judge all the elements it contains? How do you avoid preferring some styles over others? As difficult as it is, I’ll try to be as objective as possible.

The dance opens with AC/DC in their unmistakable style, deliberately and effectively repetitive: the usual, irreducible power chords, the usual blues-based scales, basic rhythms, and a healthy dose of endearing crudeness. Their song "Big Gun" even leads back to the Dionysian era of "Back In Black," yet, although at the time (1993) it was a leading single, it is rather overlooked today, even by the authors themselves. The Alice In Chains contribute to the cause twice: first with "What The Hell Have I", where oriental touches of sitar ornament the band's proverbial sound, divided between dark and evocative melodies and swelling distorted guitars; the second time with "A Little Bitter", which can be considered a "little sister" to their most representative hit ever, "Would?". The Tesla perform the task of writing the title song of the movie with a hard rock anthem boldly linked to the Californian tradition of the eighties (worth noting that in ’93 the hair metal phenomenon was already on a downward slope, so hats off to their tenacity!), while the Fishbone offer "Swim", a robust modern heavy track. Raucous fun and dark introspection, classicism and avant-garde: as you can see, the solutions presented so far are polar opposites. The same goes for the metal: the Megadeth honor their simplicity with a "Angry Again" that is unadorned and straightforward, while the sophisticated Queensryche convince with "Real World", an airy ballad with a strong prog taste.

The toughest and roughest of the artists mentioned, the Anthrax, leave you a bit puzzled: heavy and thrash alternate rather confusingly in "Poison My Eyes" and the result is somewhat cumbersome. The contribution of Def Leppard, "Two Steps Behind", is decent, a somewhat sugary acoustic ballad but overall nice and listenable, while the strategic move that throws another legendary band, the Aerosmith, into the mix of this soundtrack is fairly surprising: instead of trying their hand at a new song, Tyler and company bring their legendary "Dream On" in a dazzling live version with orchestra. Was this more at the group's or the production's behest? If it was the former, kudos to Aerosmith for the masterful cunning! The renowned composer Michael Kamen, who writes and directs the orchestrations of the album, also signs "Jack And The Ripper", an instrumental piece where the symphony gives way to the dizzying virtuosity of the singular guitar hero Buckethead, here as a guest star. Finally, the historic rappers Cypress Hill find a fitting place with the gloomy and caustic "Cock The Hammer": this inclusion, aside from the usual script requirement, is an unmistakable hint of the synergy between rap and rock that was gaining ground in those years.

In conclusion, the average level reached is more than respectable and the result is quite enjoyable, probably more so than the film itself. Three and a half points that I'd gladly round up.