Buy it... if you desire a consistently propulsive background listening experience in the form of light jazz rhythms, 1970's styles of progression, and hints of noir tension.

Avoid it... if you expect this score to rise above its workmanlike efficiency and offer a dynamic personality that can elevate it beyond the potentially tedious levels of monotony heard in its highly consistent tone.

Shore

The Score: (Howard Shore) Great casts can easily be wasted with a substandard script, and Frank Oz's poorly paced The Score, riddled with unnecessary plot twists at the end, does exactly that. Both Robert De Niro and Edward Norton, playing characters at opposite ends of their careers in high crime, sleepwalk through the film. It also represented the end of the line for the legendary Marlon Brando, whose ego, despite his close proximity to death, was still so difficult to manage (especially with the man insisting on walking onto sets with his penis hanging out, even after his abuse of his body had long ago turned him grotesquely obese) that he refused to perform his small role for The Score if the director was in the room. The entire production revealed itself to be a disappointment, a potentially incendiary caper gone sour. For composer Howard shore, The Score also represented an end of a line, so to speak, because this was his last mainstream work before he would stun the world with his music for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring later that year. Until that point, he had acquired the nickname of "cult scorer" in some circles because of the kinds of films he had chosen to score in the 1990's. Like Carter Burwell, in many ways, Shore's assignments typically hinged on the outer borders of the mainstream and were difficult to appreciate on album more often than not. His style of writing lent itself to obscurity, for he wasn't the type to embrace bombast or melodic theme. But his scores always had a gritty edge to them, and The Score is a perfect example of that. While his music for Lord of the Rings did finally bring Shore's career the recognition many thought it had already deserved, there was hope that The Score would actually be that popular vehicle. It didn't turn out as such, but while many of Shore's scores aren't good listening experiences when divorced from their films, The Score is an exception. Because the veteran criminal portrayed by De Niro also happens to own and run a jazz club in Montreal, Shore appropriately sets the mood of the score to a fast paced, jazzy, urban atmosphere with a hint of noir style. Seasoned film score collectors will find this music to be an intriguing mix of Burwell's complicated structures (and brooding tone in parts) and the flair of David Holmes' snazzy material for the Oceans Eleven franchise.

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Shore maintains a very light, but tensely exciting set of rhythm movements in the percussion section for nearly every cue. While there is no title theme with any grand sense of melody, Shore offers a staggered, cascading six note sequence, often with the brass, that permeates every corner of the score with a distinctly 1970's style (best heard in "Bye Bye"). Some of the percussive underscore is high strung and an obviously tense accompaniment for the sneaking around on screen, though some of the cues, such as "Flashback," exhibit more of a standard jazzy nightclub feeling, relying on bass, guitar, drums, and vibes to carry the constant background rhythms. The mysticism about the lifestyle of the master criminal is enhanced by a hint of electronic programming used in a sort of awe-inspiring pseudo-choral effect during many of the cues, also enhancing the often cold side of technology and the big city. Shore's music does incorporate a moderately sized orchestra, however the moments of orchestral involvement beyond the routine emphasis on certain bass notes are often flat in tone. This problem especially occurs during louder (almost hypnotic) repetitive performances of the six-note theme, such as the conclusion of "Run Late." Better in their adaptation to album, though, are the strictly jazz movements, with a muted trumpet providing a sophisticated noir aura to the complex criminal action. The nearly constant volume and rhythm, which is more intense for a prolonged period than you may expect, makes the album for The Score an extremely listenable one. The pace goes largely uninterrupted, highlighted by such tracks as the relentless "Files" and the stylish "Run Late," keeping the tapping foundation of the music moving at all times. The downside of that same characteristic of the music, though, is the fact that there is nothing overtly dynamic about Shore's score outside of those rhythmic devices. This is an example of an album that definitely did not need to be any longer, and it could have even benefited from being trimmed down to a 25 to 30 minute presentation. At almost 40 minutes in length, it could easily become monotonous for some listeners. If you don't pay too close attention to it, though, it could be an energizing and motivating background listening experience. There have been some complaints voiced about certain source jazz and songs heard in the film that were omitted from the Shore-only product. But it is an album that should appeal to more than just Shore's close group of early collectors. ***   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Howard Shore reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.43 (in 23 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.25 (in 93,154 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.