Road to Perdition

Thomas Newman

 
" Darker Road to Perdition "

Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release

Road to Perdition was a movie from several people at the top of their game. For director Sam Mendes it was his first movie after the big breakthrough of American Beauty, for actor Tom Hanks it was a critical return after his amazing performance on the hit CastAway, for actor Paul Newman it was his final film role for which he received an Oscar nomination, for cinematographer Conrad L. Hall it was his third and final Oscar win before his death in 2003, and for composer Thomas Newman it was a return to form after a couple of disappointing years, delivering him another Oscar nomination which he sadly didn't cash.

Now, Road to Perdition may be a return to form, it's also a soundtrack that requires a special state of mind. You can honestly place it in the same list as The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, covering the beauty of Shawshank in several moments and the quirkiness and sinister mood of Green Mile in other. Add to that a sadly underused Celtic influence and you receive a score that is extremely interesting to listen to, but not always that rewarding.

Now Road to Perdition may not always be that rewarding, it sure is a textbook example of how well Thomas Newman can create a sound and a mood for a specific genre. His emotional sound is absolutely stunning, adding human emotions to an anti hero who's only job is to protect his child. And it is the emotional sound that puts Road to Perdition right up there with the best of Thomas Newman. The absolutely beautiful main theme in "Road to Chicago" literally silences you, especially considering it supports the first scene after a son just watched his father kill a man. This returns in "Virgin Mary" and the sheer mesmerizing "Cathedral" in which strings will give you the goosebumps you were looking for. The piano melody in "The Farm" is of course no stranger to all those trained Thomas Newman ears.

Those are the emotional parts. You can add to that the Celtic influence for good measure, because it's something you rarely heard of him. The opening piece "Rock Island, 1931" is lovely and memorable, the flute moment in "Blood Dog" catchy. And a bit of playfulness can never harm anyone in "Dirty Money". But aside from that optimism, Road to Perdition surely sounds fragile and dangerous too. The characters the son and his father come in contact with receive an acquired taste, filling the room with the quirky rhythms and eclectic sounds of all kinds of unusual instruments. The most effective piece is "Nothing to Trade", this through the trumpet that adds the S to sinister. And while assuming the darker pieces would turn to the same powerhouse pieces of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, "Murder (in four parts)" turns out to be quite moody. The only stronger pieces are found near the end, with the on edge "Shoot the Dead" and the powerful climax of "Lexington Hotel, Room 1432".

Considering Road to Perdition lasts about 70 minutes, one comes in contact with several period songs and even a piano duet, performed by John M. Williams. And even though the music's strong and memorable in the emotional compartment, and quite effective in the darker pieces, one has to remind himself it doesn't equal the the beauty as the horror of The Shawshank Redemption. For that it lacks something, not necessarily the emotion but definitely the powerful brutal darkness. It's a fine score that should (and could have) enlightened us more with the unused Celtic influence, and through the brief but effective murder scenes. Without that it makes it a background score that listens a lot calmer than one might have guessed.

Track Listing

1. Rock Island, 1931 (3.22) Excellent track
2. Wake (1.55)
3. Just the Feller (2.45)
4. Mr. Rance (1.39)
5. Bit Borrowers (2.26)
6. Murder (in four parts) (7.54)
7. Road to Chicago (3.07) Excellent track
8. Reading Room (1.26)
9. Someday Sweetheart: The Carleston Chasers (3.06)
10. Meet Maguire (1.45)
11. Blood Dog (1.06)
12. Finn McGovern (2.12)
13. The Farm (2.09)
14. Dirty Money (3.11)
15. Rain Hammers (2.42)
16. A Blind Eye (2.27)
17. Nothing to Trade (2.25)
18. Queer Notions: Fletcher Henderson & his Orchestra (2.47)
19. Virgin Mary (1.34)
20. Shoot the Dead (2.26)
21. Grave Drive (1.21)
22. Cathedral * (2.40) Excellent track
23. There'll be some Changes made: The Chicago Rhythm Kings (2.59)
24. Ghosts (3.40)
25. Lexington Hotel, Room 1432 (1.46)
26. Road to Perdition (3.56)
27. Perdition - Piano Duet ** (1.39)

* includes excerpt from "Alma Redemptoris Mater" performed by The Choir of King's College, Cambridge
** Performed by Tom Hanks & Paul Newman

Total Length: 70.25
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(total of 7 votes - average 3.79/5)

Released by

Universal / Decca 440 017 167-2 (regular release 2002)

Orchestrations by

Thomas Pasatieri