Fair Game (soundtrack)

Fair Game (Original Motion Picture Score)
Film score by John Powell
Released	October 5, 2010
Recorded	2010
Studio	Abbey Road Studios, London 5 Cat Studios, Los Angeles
Genre	Film score
Length	40:11
Label	Lakeshore
Producer	John Powell
John Powell chronology
Knight and Day (2010) Fair Game (2010) Mars Needs Moms (2011)

Fair Game (Original Motion Picture Score) is the film score to the 2010 film Fair Game directed by Doug Liman starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. The film score is composed by John Powell and released through Lakeshore Records on October 5, 2010.

Development

The original score is composed by John Powell whom he had associated with Liman on The Bourne Identity (2002), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) and Jumper (2008). The score was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in London and released through Lakeshore Records on October 5, 2010. ^[1]

Reception

Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks wrote "Unlike Scooter Libby, Powell can be whole-heartedly pardoned for giving us that uneasy feeling." ^[2] William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote "This is a score full of disturbingly dark and low-pitched sounds, no doubt supporting the mystery and suspense of the story." ^[3] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter called it a "pulsating score". ^[4] A. O. Scott of The New York Times found it to be "adrenaline-pumping". ^[5] Chris Bumbray of JoBlo.com noted that Powell's score was reminiscent of his work from the Bourne trilogy. ^[6] Justin Chang of Variety wrote "John Powell's music supports the action with an admirable lack of bombast." ^[7]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Kuala Lumpur"	01:40
2.	"The White House"	02:22
3.	"Gathering Intel"	03:04
4.	"Joe's Report"	03:57
5.	"Bruises"	01:37
6.	"Smaky"	01:00
7.	"Sixteen Words"	02:59
8.	"Run Up to War"	02:55
9.	"Change the Story"	03:08
10.	"Uncomfortable Love"	06:04
11.	"Breaking Point"	03:58
12.	"Ready to Fight"	02:55
13.	"Testify"	04:32
Total length:		40:11

Personnel credits

Credits adapted from liner notes: ^[8]

• Music composer and producer – John Powell
• Musical arrangements – James McKee Smith, Michael Mollo, Paul Mounsey
• Music programming – Beth Caucci, James McKee Smith, Michael Mollo, Paul Mounsey
• Sound engineer – John Barrett, Stan Gabriel
• Recording – Nick Wollage, Marc Viner
• Mixing – Nick Wollage
• Mastering – Patricia Sullivan-Fourstar
• Supervising score editor – Tom Carlson
• Score editor – Annette Kudrak
• Music supervisor – Julianne Jordan
• Musical assistance – Jacob Merryman, Jason Bard Waters, John Traunwieser
• Copyist – Jessica Wells, Jill Streater, Loclan Mackenzie-Spencer, Natalie Williams

Orchestra

• Supervising orchestrator – John Ashton Thomas
• Orchestrators – Gavin Greenaway, Germaine Franco, Tommy Laurence
• Conductor – Gavin Greenaway
• Orchestra contractor – Isobel Griffiths
• Assistant orchestra contractor – Lucy Whalley
• Orchestra leader – Perry Montague-Mason

Soloists

• Drums and percussions – Joey Waronker
• Guitar – Vivian Milanova
• Keyboards – Zac Rae

Accolades

Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
Guild of Music Supervisors Awards [9]	Best Music Supervision for Film [a]	Julianne Jordan	Won
World Soundtrack Awards [10] [11]	Soundtrack Composer of the Year [b]	John Powell	Nominated

Notes

1. also for Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel , Valentine's Day , RED , Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore and The Bounty Hunter
2. also for Mars Needs Moms, Rio and Kung Fu Panda 2

References

1. "Fair Game (Original Motion Picture Score)". Apple Music . October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
2. Clemmensen, Christian (November 17, 2010). "Filmtracks: Fair Game (John Powell)". Filmtracks . Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
3. Ruhlmann, William. "Fair Game Review". AllMusic . Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
4. Honeycutt, Kirk (October 14, 2010). "Fair Game — Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
5. Scott, A. O. (November 4, 2010). "Marital Strife and C.I.A. Obligations (Published 2010)". The New York Times . Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
6. Bumbray, Chris (October 29, 2010). "Review: Fair Game". JoBlo.com . Archived from the original on October 31, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
7. Chang, Justin (May 20, 2010). "Fair Game". Variety . Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
8. John Powell. Fair Game (Media notes). Lakeshore Records.
9. Gallo, Phil (February 14, 2011). "'Glee' Likely to Feature Original Songs Next Season". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on August 30, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
10. "Alexander Desplat third time in a row Film Composer of the Year". World Soundtrack Awards . Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
11. "World Soundtrack Academy Announces 2011 Nominees!". World Soundtrack Awards . Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2023.