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FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Michael Clayton (James Newton Howard)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... with extremely low expectations, for there is no
redeeming aspect of this album for either fans of the film or the
composer.
Avoid it... if you expect any minimal level of creativity out of James Newton Howard for this otherwise intelligent film.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Michael Clayton: (James Newton Howard) As a
convoluted corporate and legal thriller, Michael Clayton takes a
long time to ignite the flame, leaving audiences waiting until the end
for its flashbacks to reveal the totality of the story. Its examination
of morality comes via the direction of Tony Gilroy, who makes the
transition to the director's chair after several successful screenplays
to his credit. Critically acclaimed in every corner of press, Michael
Clayton is an intelligent study of corporate ethics, or the lack
thereof, and the attorneys who serve as "cleaners" to make ugly
situations for those companies disappear. George Clooney leads an
outstanding set of performances that have gained the film a following
with arthouse regulars seeking the few truly interesting intellectual
puzzles to come out of Hollywood today. Composer James Newton Howard
isn't a stranger to this genre of film; not only have his choices in
assignment varied greatly, but his style has matched those shifts with
great unpredictability. While many composers' works, regardless of genre
or ensemble, can be identified within a few passages, Howard's career
has included so many dramatic variances in ensemble and style that you
sometimes have difficulty lumping some of his work in with his better
known efforts. Michael Clayton is exactly this type of score.
Howard is no stranger to the concept of understatement, and Michael
Clayton fits squarely in the same realm as Freedomland or
The Interpreter in recent years. For the great majesty that
Howard can instill in nearly any film, whether overt or in subtle
nuances, scores like these often dwell in the shadows and provide only
an ambient accompaniment to the film. Even within this grouping of
Howard's works, Michael Clayton is among the least interesting,
barely registering with any satisfying rhythmic or thematic devices. It
is as dull as a score can be, which may service a film like this well.
On album, there is no point.
Howard's ensemble for Michael Clayton includes a normally-sized orchestral string section, percussion, guitars, piano, and a variety of synthetic elements. Outside of the final cue, "25 Dollars Worth," the strings and piano are either absent or irrelevant. This leaves Howard's ambient sound design to define nearly the entire mood of the score, and that mood is extremely gloomy. With the title character stuck in a world of hazy morality, Howard responds by placing the score in the same muddied atmosphere. His electronic thumping and broad keyboarded strokes are treated to significant wet mixes that cause the music to echo endlessly... the same way dull sounds will echo for anyone who has a really bad sinus headache. There is no overarching design to most of Michael Clayton's score outside of the contemplation of the moment. The bass region is filled with Howard's library of ominous samples, rarely following any intelligent succession. The score takes twenty minutes before it even registers at dramatic levels. In "Times Square" and the subsequent two cues, Howard increases the tension with slapping, forceful rhythms and electric guitars. These cues, while they will finally pull you out of the slumber that the previous portions of the score will have inevitably placed you in, still only serve the thrill of the moment. Only in "25 Dollars Worth" does Howard's simple theme for the film mature, both on piano and strings. This extremely deliberate theme could be quite hopeful given its structure, but Howard, even in this glimpse of sunny days at the end, does not allow the theme to range into enjoyable performances. Nothing shatters that hope more than the reprise of a few ambient thuds in the cue's final minute. Overall, Michael Clayton is a functional score in a very basic sense, but Howard seemingly does little to infuse his trademark creativity into a film that defies such simplicity with its intelligent script. Even a score like The Interpreter had one redeeming track to including on a Howard compilation. No such redemption is available with Michael Clayton, and while it may only irritate you with the pounding rhythms at its climax, its total lack of personality makes the album a useless venture. *
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 38:35
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a list of performers, but no extra information about the score or film.
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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 Michael Clayton are Copyright © 2007, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 11/1/07 (and not updated significantly since). |
