The Minus Man
Marco Beltrami
" Effective background score "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
The Minus Man of 1999 focuses on a serial killer who chooses his victims from people who complain about their lives, indicating a willingness to be killed. Starring Owen Wilson as Vann the serial killer, it is without a doubt one of the few times we see Owen Wilson in a creepy role, making The Minus Man unsettling in many ways, even when you just hear it through the music of unsettling specialist Marco Beltrami.
Opening with a nice cello led song that's called "Infinity", the song works perfectly in unison with Marco Beltrami's soothing opening piece for piano and violin ("Main Title"). Furthermore it settles down the mood for the upcoming tracks. The unsettling acoustic snares in "That Truck is a Horse of Death" and the rhythm of the main theme in "The Mechanics of Vann", it are but several tracks that show us there's something sinister about Vann.
A neat idea is found in "Rancheros Bolero", giving the term Bolero a whole other Texas meaning, while the same can be said about the upbeat acoustic sound in "Postal Shuffle" or the dreamy creepiness of "Scatback's Daydream". In fact it leads up to this album's first outing of the creepy material, namely "Lab Rat".
The first sign of Beltrami's overtly familiar vocal work turns up in "Hunt for Gene", which does work as a lonely and hypnotizing piece for Vann, while the lonely piano theme returns in "Under the Sheets". The unsettling "Hampton's Devil" shows perfectly the sinister edge of Owen Wilson in this movie, or of Marco Beltrami to be more precise.
The Minus Man is a score that's tough to grade. At one end, it sums up the movie perfectly. Lonely, unsettling, at times creepy, at times moody. Beltrami adds a layer of sound design to the movie that few could match. And while it makes for an interesting background score all the same, I don't think scores are bought solely for background listening. I still appreciate the mood though, making it a functional listen if you're really in the mood for something lonely. And the songs add tremendously to that effect as well.
Songs: ***
Score: ***
Tracklisting
1. Infinity: Bryony Atkinson & Inara George (4.05)
2. Main Title (3.08)
3. That Truck is a Horse of Death (1.27)
4. The Mechanics of Vann (1.05)
5. At Home (1.19)
6. Rancheros Bolero (1.24)
7. Postal Shuffle (1.48)
8. Scatback's Daydream (1.12)
9. Lab Rat (0.42)
10. The Funeral (1.20)
11. On the Job (0.23)
12. Hunt for Gene (2.18)
13. Christmas (1.18)
14. Soft Shoe Shuffle: Bryony Atkinson & Inara George (2.04)
15. Under the Sheets (1.19)
16. Hampton's Devil (1.37)
17. The Pouch Song: Bryony Atkinson & Inara George (4.23)
Total Length: 30.45
Opening with a nice cello led song that's called "Infinity", the song works perfectly in unison with Marco Beltrami's soothing opening piece for piano and violin ("Main Title"). Furthermore it settles down the mood for the upcoming tracks. The unsettling acoustic snares in "That Truck is a Horse of Death" and the rhythm of the main theme in "The Mechanics of Vann", it are but several tracks that show us there's something sinister about Vann.
A neat idea is found in "Rancheros Bolero", giving the term Bolero a whole other Texas meaning, while the same can be said about the upbeat acoustic sound in "Postal Shuffle" or the dreamy creepiness of "Scatback's Daydream". In fact it leads up to this album's first outing of the creepy material, namely "Lab Rat".
The first sign of Beltrami's overtly familiar vocal work turns up in "Hunt for Gene", which does work as a lonely and hypnotizing piece for Vann, while the lonely piano theme returns in "Under the Sheets". The unsettling "Hampton's Devil" shows perfectly the sinister edge of Owen Wilson in this movie, or of Marco Beltrami to be more precise.
The Minus Man is a score that's tough to grade. At one end, it sums up the movie perfectly. Lonely, unsettling, at times creepy, at times moody. Beltrami adds a layer of sound design to the movie that few could match. And while it makes for an interesting background score all the same, I don't think scores are bought solely for background listening. I still appreciate the mood though, making it a functional listen if you're really in the mood for something lonely. And the songs add tremendously to that effect as well.
Songs: ***
Score: ***
Tracklisting
1. Infinity: Bryony Atkinson & Inara George (4.05)
2. Main Title (3.08)
3. That Truck is a Horse of Death (1.27)
4. The Mechanics of Vann (1.05)
5. At Home (1.19)
6. Rancheros Bolero (1.24)
7. Postal Shuffle (1.48)
8. Scatback's Daydream (1.12)
9. Lab Rat (0.42)
10. The Funeral (1.20)
11. On the Job (0.23)
12. Hunt for Gene (2.18)
13. Christmas (1.18)
14. Soft Shoe Shuffle: Bryony Atkinson & Inara George (2.04)
15. Under the Sheets (1.19)
16. Hampton's Devil (1.37)
17. The Pouch Song: Bryony Atkinson & Inara George (4.23)
Total Length: 30.45