So, you're gonna nick $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos in one night? Well, for that kind of caper you'll need ten of the best men in the business. And you'll also need one of the coolest mutha f**kin' soundtracks known to mankind.
David Holmes is just the man for the job. The Belfast born DJ has assembled over fifty minutes of slick loungey, cinematic music, ideally suited to director Steven Soderbergh's sharp, starstudded remake of the 1960 Rat Pack heist movie.
So, to accompany George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia et al while they're busy looking cool, stylish, tough and sexy, Holmes - who worked with Soderbergh before on the Clooney vehicle 'Out Of Sight' - has compiled, penned and produced a score which nods respectfully to the original movie while at the same time bringing things bang up to date.
Holmes makes good use of oldies but goodies such as the lush-stringed easy listening of Percy Faith And His Orchestra, Elvis Presley's rocking, snarling-lipped rarity 'A Little Less Conversation' (from the 1968 film 'Live A Little, Love A Little') and Perry Como's swinging 'Papa Loves Mambo'.
Also in there is the low-slung funked up and fabulous hip hop of 'The Projects' by Handsome Boy Modelling School and the grin inducing, brassy night-club swing of Quincy Jones' supremely seedy 'Blues In The Night'. Fantastic!
The DJ's own compositions - specially written jazzy tracks as well as previously released material such as the funky groove of 'Gritty Shaker' and the dubby electronica of '69 Police' - more than hold their own alongside such gems and the whole affair is held together by segments of dialogue from the movie.
It's all rather wonderful stuff. Let's hope the film is as pleasurable a ride.
by Gary Crossing