Toy Soldiers - Expanded

Track Listing Legend:
*Previously Unreleased
†Not in Film
††Includes Music Not in Film

As part of Intrada's final batch of releases for 2021, the label revisits its early-'90s release of composer Robert Folk's thrilling score for Toy Soldiers. Given a rousing performance by the Dublin Symphony Orchestra, the score draws a firm line between good and bad – two opposing poles: the theme for the good guys is in the major mode, veering from idyllic to heraldic and relying heavily on strings and trumpet; the bad guys' theme is in minor, heavily driven by percussion and focusing on the colors of low brass and occasionally low strings. As Folk comments, "Most of the sequences are in various degrees related to these two themes. Sometimes sequences are related in a very specific and obvious way, and other times the variations on the material are more remote and less obvious." There's also plenty of driving, exciting music to accompany the action sequences, making this score a powerhouse listen.

While the original album was fairly lengthy, it did omit a few sequences (including the "Prelude" that opened the score). With this new release, Intrada has expanded to include the missing portions, all remastered.

The film opens in Colombia where drug kingpin Enrique Cali has been arrested. His son storms the Palace of Justice to demand his release. When he learns that he is too late—his father has already been extradited to the U.S.— he kills two hostages and takes off for the States. Transition to Virginia, home of the Regis School for teenage boys. Most of the boys come from wealthy and influential families, but many have problems with authority and haven't done well in other schools. After a violent and deadly border crossing, the younger Cali targets the son of the American judge presiding over his father's case, who is enrolled at Regis. But once again Cali is too late, for federal authorities have already whisked the boy away to safety. Frustrated, Cali and his henchmen take the rest of the students, teachers and staff hostage. They wire the school with explosives connected to a detonator device on the back of Cali's hand that he threatens to set off should anyone interfere with their plans. One of the students, Billy Tepper (Sean Astin), organizes an "opposition force" consisting of his friends who scheme and act to liberate themselves and the rest of the school.