Stephen Edwards's orchestral score for Ninja, directed by Isaac Florentine and starring Scott Adkins, explores the clash of the Japanese and Western cultures in its mix of symphonic colours and ethnic instruments (such as shakuhachis and taiko drums)...

Being a movie set in ancient Japan it's not a huge surprise to discover that Stephen Edwards employs the shakuhachis at the centre of most of the tracks in this score. But thankfully he manages to keep well clear of all the cliches to deliver a modern sounding collection of tracks that work well as standalone pieces in their own right.

The best way to describe this score is as a western soundtrack that replaces some of the contemporary western instruments with traditional Japanese instruments. And it works quite well too.

This is mostly a collection of atmospheric pieces - there aren't that many stand out themes - and usually I don't enjoy listening to this sort of thing outside of the movie. For example, tracks like 'Sensei Killed' have long segments that go nowhere and where never designed to do anything other than add to a moment in the movie. However, on balance, tracks like 'Casey's Solemn Day' add enough richness to the mix that make this a soundtrack worth picking up.

It's not one you'll want to dig out all that often, but it's still a worthy addition to your collection. It's a little different, and won't be to everyone's taste, but I rather enjoyed this original score.

8

Darren Rea