CD choice: soundtrack

JOHN POWELL The Bourne Ultimatum Decca Classics *****

John Powell is currently one of the most sought after composers working in Hollywood, particularly after his critical successes in animation (Shrek, Antz and Chicken Run with Harry Gregson Williams), comedy drama or "dramedy" (Be Cool, Evolution and Mr & Mrs Smith) and high action (Pay Check, Face/Off and The Italian Job).

If 2006 saw some of the most exciting work of the prolific and eclectic 40-something British composer with his very different scores - Happy Feet, Ice Age: The Meltdown, X-Men: The Last Stand, and the Oscar- nominated United 93 - then the highpoint of 2007 is his remarkable new score for The Bourne Ultimatum.

Reunited with director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, United 93) for the third instalment of the Jason Bourne super-serious spy franchise, Powell pulls out all the stops, revisiting themes from his previous scores The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy - particularly the Jason and Marie themes - and seamlessly combining them with new themes and motifs to maximum dramatic effect, especially in the sustained tension of the eight-minute-long action cues Tangiers, Assets and Targets and Waterloo.

The Bourne Ultimatum also displays Powell's effortless command of diverse styles and idioms as he dynamically fuses contemporary classical, alt.rock and electronica with simple melodic lines and driving polyrhythms (Brazilian drums, phat beats and chunky bass lines) to create a score of unusual emotional complexity and visceral force - the elegiac Thinking of Marie, the haunting Faces Without Names and the triumphant Jason Is Reborn are stand-outs.

The Bourne Ultimatum is Powell at his best - smart, surprising and hugely satisfying. www.deccaclassics.com

JOCELYN CLARKE

Download tracks: Tangiers, Thinking of Marie, Faces without Names