FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW

Review of The Guys (Mychael Danna)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you are ready to hear a deadly serious, introverted journey of a small ensemble to represent the recovery from an enormous personal loss.

Avoid it... if the music you want to use to commemorate the events of September 11th, 2001 for your personal purposes is grand, defiant, patriotic, or soothing.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

The Guys: (Mychael Danna) The first film to be made about the personal tragedies caused by the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001, The Guys is a solemn but rewarding story of a New York City journalist and a city fire captain who partnered together to write a series of eulogies for the firemen killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center. Based upon a play, the journalist and captain form a personal bond and work together to overcome the grief of the event. In the remainder of the 2000's, the few films that attempted to address the larger topic (on both big and small screens) tended to be met with indifference, and The Guys was no exception. The film's musical requirements were different than what most people may believe. Instead of being rousingly patriotic or heroic, the story necessitates an individual level of suffering and healing. Thus, composer Mychael Danna was hired to provide an immensely personal score of intimate character for the film. Danna had been displaying his diverse talents with regularity in the previous year, with the heavily ethnic and religious score for Atom Egoyan's Ararat standing out in 2002 as one of the more interesting efforts of his career. His work for The Guys returns to his more minimalistic tendencies, with only a small ensemble of soloists and string players employed for the film. Utilizing a relatively short score, the film did not need much music to accentuate the pain on the screen; the story really represented itself well enough to suffice without the additional atmospheric depth. Danna's score is understandably restrained to a level of volume appropriate for the interaction between the two primary characters. There is no representation of the attack, the large scale recovery efforts that followed, or even the music you heard at the memorials that were arranged a year later. The score is introspective in every way, relying on the tone of a solo piano to provide the heart of the score's contemplation. It is accompanied by largely harmonic, but themeless performances by a handful of woodwinds and strings, producing a distinctly classical environment that is as strikingly poignant in parts as it is depressing.

Although Danna succeeds in providing what the film required, highlights on album are few. The first score track, "My Beautiful, Gleaming...," and finale cue, "Follow Me," offer the sum of only six to eight minutes of redeeming music, or material that even hints at a positive resolution or sense of healing. The majority of the remaining music relies upon a meandering piano trying to find its path, and this experience, with only a simple, elongated theme and often no accompaniment at all, causes the score for The Guys to dwell in despair to the same degree as the fire captain of the story. The cue "Are You Okay?" presents some spectacular, of not equally depressing solo piano performances of melancholy character. The mix of the piano is perhaps too forceful, swallowing up the woodwinds often tasked to accompany it. The tone of the score is a sober reminder of the pain and suffering of New York, and while it may suffice to great degree in the film, it may not transfer as well to album for most listeners. If anything, the music serves as accompaniment to the growth and pain that evolved out of the tragedy, but without any of the positive aspects of the collective recovery efforts. For the purpose of representing the psyche the characters of the film, Danna's effort is still commendable. The Sony Classical album is book-ended by two more noteworthy tracks, however. It opens with a solitary and moving performance of a traditional Irish folk song that was arranged by Danna for this film. It is performed by Mary Fahl, whose voice was very well utilized for the Civil War epic Gods and Generals in the same year. Her ability to use her voice to bridge the stylistic gap between American and Irish sounds effectively serves to remind audiences of the heavy Irish tradition in the New York police and fire departments. She also contributes wordless vocals to several score cues. The album furthers this tribute with a recording of the song by the New York Fire Department Emerald Society Pipe and Drums. Danna's score does not repeat these Irish influences, to its possible detriment. On a short product, the music is the best you would expect to hear from a personal 9/11-related tale. It is ultimately a depressing listening experience with minimal activity and unfortunately, when presented on its own, reminds us of only the solemn side of the event and ignores the greater perseverance which prevailed.  ***

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 31:24

• 1. The Dawning of the Day - traditional, performed by Mary Fahl (4:38) • 2. My Beautiful, Gleaming... (4:02) • 3. Bill (1:30) • 4. Are You OK? (4:04) • 5. Jimmy (1:30) • 6. What They Were Waiting For (1:21) • 7. Where Were You that Morning? (3:53) • 8. Patrick (2:12) • 9. Follow Me (4:02) • 10. Barney (1:56) • 11. The Dawning of the Day - traditional, performed by FDNY Emerald Society Pipes & Drums (2:12)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.

Copyright © 2003-2024, Filmtracks Publications. All rights reserved.
The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from The Guys are Copyright © 2003, Sony Classical and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 2/5/03 and last updated 3/4/09.