Manhunter

When it comes to the crime action genre, few directors have had their finger on the pulse of alternative music or scoring like Michael Mann. Mann s love for moody progressive electronic music took its darkest turn in Manhunter (1986), a film focused on the most horrifying class of criminal and resulting in a soundtrack featuring a mixture of songs and score. The filmmaker was captivated by the haunting, keyboard-driven sound of Shriekback and Mann would use several of their songs to memorable effect. Manhunter s song highlight is Iron Butterfly s In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Music editor George A. Martin created a special edit of the hit, cutting the song s building guitar and percussion to meticulously reflect the film's climactic ritual and shoot-out. Red 7, formed by Genesis s Mike Rutherford, provides Heartbeat as support for Manhunter s upbeat conclusion, the song s buoyant tempo backing the return to the sanctity. Michel Rubini, a Motown producer who d found success composing on The Hunger and HBO s Hitchhiker series, used a Synclavier to realize Graham s Theme. Of the three score tracks on Manhunter s original LP issue, two would be performed by keyboardist Bruce Cohen and guitarist Rich Shaffer as The Reds. A new addition to this CD reissue is the oft-requested Jogger s Stakeout, where an escalating wash of dangerous guitar and synth play to the tension. As the particular rock-synth sound of the 1980s drew to a close, Manhunter served as a notable climax to Mann s initial style of underworld music. The undeniable and growing cult appeal of Manhunter and its music has finally warranted the first CD release of this long-collectible album. Intrada presents the original MCA LP program, with the addition of the new track, delivering this long overdue CD premiere of Manhunter. Based on author Thomas Harris s Red Dragon, Manhunter featured the first appearance of psychiatrist-turned-cannibal Hannibal Lecktor and William Peterson plays protagonist FBI agent Will Graham. With the nefarious assistance of Lecktor, Graham desperately tries to stop the lunar-driven slayings of Francis Dollarhyde (Tom Noonan). Nicknamed The Tooth Fairy for his awful post-mortem activities, Dollarhyde will strike at another family if Graham can t track him before the next full moon.