The Hollywood machine can be quite rigid when it comes to type casting and it's no exception when it comes to Composers.  When the system finds a Composer who excels in writing music for a specific genre, they will keep going back to that individual for similiar scores without an end in sight.  One such Composer who has been trapped in such a loop is Rolfe Kent, who has gone about his business admirably from one romantic comedy to the next, creating music that is appropriate for these films and thereby becoming a victim of his own success.  Finally, at long last, Kent has been given an opportunity to stretch himself out of the world of light romance and into new territory with, "The Hunting Party."

"The Hunting Party" is a film that is both political and action oriented, focusing in on a journalist who is searching for the most wanted war criminal in post-war Bosnia. Needless to say, a plot such as this affords thematic points such as darkness, adventure and politics in a modern setting, thus giving Kent specific areas to focus on in writing the score.  Worlds away from "Kate and Leopold" to be sure!

Going in, I was curious to see how Kent would approach the music.  In particular, I wanted to hear if he would create a score that would be overly ambitious in an effort to stake a claim on this new territory.  Conversely, there could also be an instance where he might have played it safe with a conservative underscore that would neither shine or fail.  From the opening moments onward, I could tell that neither situation would come to pass.

 

The score for "The Hunting Party" is rock solid.  Using elements of Baltic/Islamic influences along with sturdy action cues where needed, Kent developed a score that is mature and exotic.  Indeed, much of it plays like an adventure score, just as the film's director states in the liner notes, and clearly places the listener on foreign soil where the film's saga develops.  Brushing aside any fragments from his light comedy works, Kent's music is intense and dramatic as well, though the drama is carefully developed so that it doesn't swell over the top.  And with 22 tracks of score material, the album plays briskly and effortlessly, which makes for a great listening experience. Also worth noting is that the soundtrack is divided between both score and song tracks, with the latter appearing from cues 23 to 28.

 

As a whole, I am quite content with the outcome of this score.  Rolfe Kent shows us another side to his skill set and creates a more than serviceable score for "The Hunting Party."  Hopefully, this piece of work will allow him additional opportunities beyond this one and maybe, just maybe, it might open the doors for other composers who themselve have also been caught in a similiar type of endless loop.