Rambo III: The Complete Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

With the theatrical cut of 1988's action blockbuster Rambo III employing precious little of Jerry Goldsmith's score, Intrada's superb 1998 soundtrack reissue represents the first real opportunity to hear much of what constitutes the composer's finest work on the much-maligned series. A complex score that makes judicious use of Goldsmith's previous Rambo themes and ideas, the music deftly combines conventional orchestral arrangements, electronic effects, and traditional Middle Eastern instruments to convey both the beauty of the film's Afghanistan landscapes and the horrors of the Cold War-era battles fought there. With its emphasis on martial rhythms and volcanic eruptions of strings, brass, and synthesizers, Goldsmith's score exists largely to serve the over-the-top carnage onscreen, but it's the more subdued moments, though rare, that stick out -- in particular, the opening cue, "Another Time," speaks more about the inner turmoil of the John Rambo character than Sylvester Stallone's brutish title performance ever will. ~ Jason Ankeny