Force: Five (1981) *** 1/2

Force: Five (1981) is a martial-arts adventure from director Robert Clouse, who was responsible for such classics of the genre as Enter the Dragon and Game of Death. The film follows a martial-arts team as they travel to an island to rescue a senator’s daughter, who has been taken hostage by a fanatical cult leader. Composer William Goldstein (An Eye for an Eye, Forced Vengeance) provides an energetic score that combines orchestral writing with electronics, resulting in an exciting and surprisingly varied musical backdrop.

The “Opening” title track immediately establishes the score’s energy with an appealing thematic idea built from brass and guitar licks over a pop-oriented rhythmic backdrop, before shifting into a sinister, organ-like figure. Tension-building material and bursts of action round out the cue. A montage track leads into more thematic writing, while “Lookin’ Around” juxtaposes soft jazz trumpet with recurring electronic and wind motifs. Goldstein provides further contrast with the lush writing of “Still Time for Romance” and the bossa nova-tinged seduction of “Still Time for Fun,” while the pop-oriented “Laurie’s Song” has a touch of Burt Bacharach in its melodic character.

The electronic ideas become more prominent in cues such as “Back to Business,” where percussion and strings interact with stingers and dissonance to create an increasingly unsettled atmosphere. The variety of these approaches makes the score a fascinating listen, even when some of its individual gestures are familiar genre conventions. Goldstein moves effortlessly among them, maintaining a strong sense of overall shape rather than simply stringing together a collection of action and suspense cues.

While listeners may initially come for the action writing, it is Goldstein’s thematic material that ultimately makes the biggest impression, from the muscular primary theme to the more lyrical contrasting ideas. When these themes begin to intertwine, the tension rises while the emotional stakes become more apparent, particularly in tracks like “There’s Still Laurie.”

The “Final Battle” sequence offers another impressive showcase. It opens with angular writing, dense clusters of dissonance, and propulsive action material before moving into more mysterious sounds. The finale even indulges in a bit of Mickey-Mousing before bringing the principal themes back once more. It is an effective summation of Goldstein’s approach, balancing the direct impact expected from an action score with more unusual textures and vital thematic development.

Stylistically, the score overall sits comfortably alongside the work of composers such as Bill Conti and Lalo Schifrin during this period, but Goldstein brings enough of his own personality to keep it from feeling derivative.

The score was previously available digitally, and the current edition is a straight reissue of New Gold Music’s release. Fans of this era of action scoring should find plenty to enjoy in Goldstein’s work here. Clips are available at the label’s website. —Steven A. Kennedy

Comments regarding this review can be sent to: stev4uth@hotmail.com.