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Powell tackles Mr. & Mrs. Smith with the personality of his instrumentation alone, leaving meaningful melodic development and most of the extremes in the action and romance genres behind. The ensemble consists of a standard orchestra, but the group is absolutely dominated by the several guitarists, bassists, and percussionists employed for the project. Nearly constant is some rambling of acoustic guitars, often in supporting and primary roles at once. The tone of the guitars rarely dissolves into the harshness of the electric realm, usually content to affectionately whip along with determined, plucked bass and a variety of drums and the type of clicking and tapping percussive effects you'd expect for a wild Latin sound. There are deviations, as with the retro tone of "Desert Foxes," but the straight forward Latin personality of Mr. & Mrs. Smith is mostly unrelenting. The orchestra becomes more involved with the score as the film progresses, though don't expect Powell to really merge the Latin and classical mannerisms of the instruments to a satisfying end. Thematically, there are motifs for the primary characters and a suspense identity that is difficult to really appreciate on album. The album opens with the theme for the leading couple and sends it off in whimsical romantic shades in "The Next Adventure," a seemingly trite, tongue-in-cheek parody of vintage James Bond music. The "Tango de los Assassinos" is its own unique identity in the score, representing the most noticeable Powell music in the film but failing, oddly, to generate any of the real balance of romance and tension that the scene requires. For all the style exhibited by Powell in the first half of the score, his approach really doesn't follow any kind of narrative arc (outside of hints in "Playing House"). In the latter half, his infusion of Bourne-like ostinatos and more forceful enhancements from brass produces adequate excitement but this material still doesn't really develop in a clear direction. The percussive loops sometimes distract from the orchestra during these passages (including the finale), and confirm for the listener that Powell's role in Mr. & Mrs. Smith was to add a layer of flair more than meaningful depth. The Latin and flamenco flavor is alone enough of an asset to make this score functional (and, in passages, enjoyable), though on its score-only album, it's one of those works that constantly promises more than it delivers. The unrestrained feeling of fun that defines the movie isn't always prevalent in the score, which often finds itself slapping, strumming, banging, and striking all the right sounds without really accomplishing much of substance. Given the marital counseling sessions that anchor the plot, the lack of punchy narrative movement in the music is a major opportunity missed.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For John Powell reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.28 (in 50 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.16 (in 52,492 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 43:54