Mr. & Mrs. Smith

He's an assassin, she's an assassin, they're married but, get this, they don't know the other is an assassin! While teetering on the brink of 'nice concept, shame about the film,' Mr and Mrs Smith manages to just about pull off what could be a black hole of a concept where all the clever setup gets sucked up its own backside. Much of the success is, of course, down to the chemistry between Jolie and Pitt, plus some reasonably imaginative shoot-em-up and chase sequences. A wittily staged sequence as the two sit down to dinner after learning the truth about each other is the high point of a surprisingly decent flick. I noted some fine licks while watching the film, but had no clue as to the composer but was pleased to note John Powell's name in the credits, but disheartened that there only appeared to be a song album; however, without anyone noticing, the nice people at (the perhaps optimistically titled) Superb Records have furnished us with Powell's typically engaging score.

The score's main focus is guitar based flamenco/tango, which not only suggests surging hormones, but is a fine way to score sexually charged cat and mouse interludes and, to cap it all off, can be effectively ramped up to underpin the action sequences. Bogota introduces us to the first usage where Mr and Mrs first meet in the steamy climes of the foreign. The aforementioned dining sequence, Dinner, and Tango de los Asesinos crackle as the stakes are raised and the tension escalates. The Tango also effectively demonstrates Powell's splendid mix of intimate (acoustic guitar), modern (some well deployed synth percussion) and orchestral (the brass starts to interject as the suspense explodes). His action music once again shines and passages such as John Drops In and, especially, the final triumvirate of Minivan Chase, Shopping Spree and Dodging Bullets are hugely exciting. Things get a little Bondian with some great bass guitar licks and wailing brass, plus some typically imaginative touches such as slithering string riffs and even finds a place for vibraphone.

It's difficult to find much to fault with Powell's score; true, there's no stunningly memorable main theme, but the flamenco vibe throughout ties everything together very effectively. The variety of ideas on the basic flamenco premise is impressive, Powell does plenty to keep things moving along, piling on percussion (although never too much), brass and string riffs for the action, but keeping it intimate for Mr and Mrs' one on one encounters. Like the film, the score wins on sheer entertainment value and doesn't outstay its welcome. While I'm sure David Arnold is still shoe-in for the next Bond film, scores like this suggest that John Powell would be a far more astute choice. Die Another Day felt like Arnold becoming bored with the franchise and Powell already channels a little of the spirit of Bond in his action writing, but has a far keener ear for mixing the orchestra and percussion. Until then, another sizzling entry onto Powell's impressive roster of credits.