Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #294
Written 10/22/99, Revised 4/29/08
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Buy it... if you like your scores for urban thrillers to feature an
intelligent, edgy blend of orchestral power, choral beauty, and a
sophisticated industrial edge.
Avoid it... if you've never been impressed by the general style of
Craig Armstrong's scores, for The Bone Collector is among the
most typical of his career in terms of instrumental and rhythmic
style.
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| Armstrong |
The Bone Collector: (Craig Armstrong) In an odd
combination between Seven and Rear Window, The Bone
Collector is a police thriller starring Denzel Washington as a
paralyzed but brilliant detective who, engaged in a cat and mouse game
with a psychotic killer in New York City, uses the eyes and ears of a
surprisingly believable Angelina Jolie in the role of a younger,
reluctant investigator in the field. Director Phillip Noyce didn't shy
away from showing grotesque crime scenes in the film, and the gore left
behind by the killer solicited the film's comparisons with Seven.
Arguably, however, The Bone Collector is a more intelligent
battle between good and evil, despite the film's occasionally obnoxious
plot holes. The production was mainstream America's introduction to
Scottish composer Craig Armstrong, whose training and early career had
consisted of an odd combination of commissioned classical writing and
arrangements for popular rock stars. This background has defined
Armstrong's accomplished, though likely under-appreciated career with a
distinct character to his music, a character that smartly balances the
orchestral, choral, and electronic. Of the works in the composer's first
ten years of film scoring, perhaps no soundtrack exemplifies his sound
as well as The Bone Collector, which takes the electronics of
Plunkett and Macleane and merges them with the later elements of
the choir in World Trade Center and the grim orchestral shades in
Moulin Rouge. The score was a striking introduction of Armstrong
to the film music collecting world, though listeners had likely heard
the "Escape" cue from Plunkett and Macleane in several trailers
and television promotional spots already. For fans of that particular
popular cue, The Bone Collector extends that general idea to
greater lengths, though without the over-bearing melodramatic attitude.
This score is instead all business, mirroring the cold and serious
atmosphere with a sound that contains the ingredients of a warmer effort
but never attempts to make an appeal at the personal level.
The weighty tone of Armstrong's score makes more of an
impact than any of the thematic material. Morbidly dramatic in parts and
starkly industrial in others, the score dwells in the bass region and
broods with a keen sense of gravity. The eight-note title theme isn't as
memorable as the force with which it is stated in the two "New York
City" tracks. The first of these infuses the piano-led orchestra with an
electronic rhythm very typical to Armstrong's career in a mix as
satisfying as that of the theme to
The Quiet American. The
combination of drum pads, whining strings, and extremely low piano
strikes is pure Armstrong at his most powerful, and this melody would
heavily influence the remainder of the score. Allowing the piano to lead
the performance in every case allows the instrument to maintain
consistency in the more suspenseful, fragmented renditions throughout
the work. Before the theme is provided a somewhat overblown statement in
"Pier Pressure," it is altered slightly for two sub-themes that never
take off. Both the theme for Jolie's character and the bonding theme
between her and Washington's character never truly establish themselves,
relying upon twisted variations of the title theme for their structures.
The lack of development in the thematic identity is definitely the
weakness of the music for
The Bone Collector, but Armstrong
compensates with the larger attitude of forceful determination that
gives the score a its unnerving sound. The only cue to break up the flow
is "Mackenzie," which turns almost exclusively to the electronic
textures. On the whole, though, Armstrong's ability to give a mostly
orchestral score a sophisticated industrial edge is the most interesting
aspect of
The Bone Collector. For fans of the composer looking
for more of the outward choral beauty heard in
World Trade Center
and beyond, the cue "The City Awakes" is a solemn operatic piece. The
mix of the percussion needs praise; from tapping wood effects in
"Working the Evidence" to the timpani at the outset of "Seizure" and the
awesome snare rips late in "Taxi Ride," their wet mix is resounding. The
score is ultimately a refreshingly unique and tasteful way of
approaching the urban thriller genre.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
Bias Check:
For Craig Armstrong reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.83
(in 12 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.42
(in 46,022 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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