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Review of Road to Perdition (Thomas Newman)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you admire both halves of Thomas Newman's compositional styles
of the 1990's and 2000's (from the quirky instrumental and rhythmic creativity to
the weighty orchestral drama).
Avoid it... if the somber tone of the dramatic gravity in this context is too glum for an appreciation of the score's more spirited, rhythmic half.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Road to Perdition: (Thomas Newman) The highly acclaimed Sam
Mendes adaptation of a graphic novel, 2002's Road to Perdition was Oscar
bait in the making, placing Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, and a strong supporting cast in
a compelling story of organized crime in 1930's Chicago. Hanks plays a hitman of
high talents, but when he becomes the victim when the majority of his family is
executed by the jealous son of his employer, he and his remaining young son go on a
journey of revenge, discovery, and healing in the setting's gloomy and dark
underworld. The successful collaboration between Mendes and composer Thomas Newman
continued with Road to Perdition. It was their pairing just a few years
prior for American Beauty that earned them both the most heightened critical
and popular recognition of their careers, despite an upset of the score at the
Oscars. Newman's music for the 2000 hit had taken on a life of its own, with a
second generation of his fans becoming attached to his style of extremely eclectic,
low-key tones that would continue in Erin Brockovich and Pay it
Forward. Whether Newman was experimenting with these kinds of synthetic scores
or building upon his more largely established fan base with his complex orchestral
works, he always concentrated heavily on character development and tackled setting
and time as a secondary task. While Road to Perdition may be a 1930's
Chicago gangster film in setting, the core of its drama is still rooted in the same
genre of family tragedy that made American Beauty into such an intoxicating
experience for many audiences. The difference, though, is that Newman folds many of
the intriguing stylistic mannerisms from his quirky scores of the era into a much
larger orchestral scope for Road to Perdition, taking the best of both
worlds and wrapping them into a far broader and admirable, Academy Award nominated
effort. Not only was Road to Perdition a return for Newman to the vastly
complicated orchestral works of his past, but it also features some of his most
dynamic and successful character development in the 2000's.
Because the film's personality is conveyed in a somber tale of loss and revenge, Thomas Newman's score is no walk in the park. Not only was his aim to compose music to accompany the tragic events on screen, but to also illuminate the thinking of the primary character, a challenge in any such environment. Thus, his music for Road to Perdition is jumpy, unorthodox, melancholy, and colorful all in one. For enthusiasts of Newman's American Beauty style of unpredictable movement, Road to Perdition is surprisingly similar in its experimental rhythmic approach, but it is simply translated this time into a robust form for a full orchestral ensemble. The dark and consistently somber tone of Newman's work is balanced by a fascinating infusion of innovative instrumentation. His precise use of percussion and electronic accompaniment offers a touch of style to nearly every cue, and the ethnic hints meant to represent the characters' Irish-American roots play a strong role without becoming too obvious or burdensome. A wide range of soloists perform such instruments as the Uilleann pipes, low and high whistles, Irish bouzouki, pang glocken, hurdy-gurdy, sponge, and ewi, among countless others. More importantly, however, is the use of bass-heavy strings to help these elements achieve the necessary dramatic weight for the story. Newman, while often criticized negatively for his experimental minimalism in scores like In the Bedroom (which bordered on sound design rather than music), makes the best of his instrumental knowledge for Road to Perdition in several cues that literally crawl with a bizarre array of sounds and rhythms. As such, the score was a welcome relief for most of the composer's early collectors. The plucky rhythms often associated with Newman's trademark style helps introduce "Mr. Rance" and "Meet Maguire" with a strange, but effective combination of both humor and malice. A lazy, distant trumpet is a continuous reminder of the setting and time, keeping the score rooted just enough to its American noir locale. After the overtly prominent Irish tones in "Rock Island, 1931," most of the score is restrained to a level of eerie atmosphere that excels because of its unexpected organic warmth (more often than not). In need of special recognition are the two or three frenetic action cues (including "Dirty Money" and "Shoot the Dead") that explode with Newman's talent for colorful rhythmic bursts. These optimistically choppy, but tense explosions of sound from mainly strings and percussion are the score's most extroverted side, and they were probably among the most interesting cues of Newman's career at the time. While the score is lacking in terms of memorable thematic development, several partially and slowly maturing ideas are woven deeply into the string performances that meander throughout the score (culminating in the concluding "Road to Perdition"). On the whole, Road to Perdition is a work that may sound somewhat simplistic and disappointingly restrained during a casual listen, but its ability to maintain a tightly dramatic emotional atmosphere of such seasoned depth should not be ignored. If Newman's knack for addressing the best in human character is indeed his compositional specialty, then maybe it's easier to both hear and enjoy that talent when he is given the diversity of a full orchestra and an ensemble of soloists. His music for Road to Perdition, while disturbing in its introspective and moody spirit, has several moments of harmonic beauty hidden in its ranks (including "The Farm," and "Cathedral"). The album for Road to Perdition features vibrant sound quality that allows the crisp precision of especially the robust rhythmic portions to be conveyed without the restrictions of many of the dull soundscapes of Newman's 1999 to 2001 efforts. The lengthy product offers a healthy dose of Newman's work (especially compared to his shorter releases of the period), as well as a handful of more lively jazz of the era from the likes of the Charleston Chasers, Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra, and Chicago Rhythm Kings. The scene in which Hanks and Paul Newman perform a piano duet on screen is included at the end of the album, too (and yes, the two of them are really performing that short piece). Between Newman's somewhat upbeat resolution in his final score cue and the Hanks/Newman duet, the album ends on a surprisingly warm note. Otherwise, Road to Perdition is a somber, though fascinating score that will appeal greatly to listeners who were eager for the composer's return to the dramatic depth of The Shawshank Redemption. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 70:25
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a list of performers, but no extra information about
the film or score.
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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 Road to Perdition are Copyright © 2002, Decca Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 6/29/02 and last updated 2/17/09. |
