I found the score to be moody, ambiguous... and utterly perfect for the tone of the movie. It doesn't draw a whole lot of attention to itself, yet at key moments, it was quite effective at heightening the poignancy of the situation at hand. I liked how the drum solos contributed to the sense of urgency in several scenes. To me, the score was a perfect fit for the movie- simultaneously spare, thoughtful, and evocative.

The subtlety and ambiguity is in stark contrast to something like... Memoirs of a Geisha, which has received such praise for its score. Is it just me, or did it sound completely derivative of The Last Emperor, only "Japanified"? :-/