Public Enemies

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Good to see Goldenthal back, even if he is a little muted
Waiting for Public Enemies has been a test of patience for Elliot Goldenthal fans. It's been a long six years since Goldenthal's last theatrical score - S.W.A.T. in 2003 - although the intervening period has been an eventful one in Goldenthal's life; he wrote his first opera, Grendel, in collaboration with his partner Julie Taymor, and produced the Beatles songs used in her 2007 film Across the Universe, but most seriously he suffered a potentially life-threatening head injury in 2005 when he fell off a chair and smacked his head on the marble floor of his kitchen, rendering him literally speechless for several months. So, is Public Enemies the triumphant return to the cinema fans of scores like Titus, Final Fantasy and Interview With the Vampire had wanted? The answer, a touch disappointingly, is no. So why is Public Enemies a disappointment? It's actually a little difficult to pin down the specific reasons. Part of it is to do with expectation; the fact that his last four major scores before his hiatus - Titus, Final Fantasy, the Oscar-winning Frida and S.W.A.T. - were so amazingly good, one after the other, that he seemed to be on an unstoppable upward trajectory of creativity and brilliance which was frustratingly stemmed mid-flow. Part of it is also to do with the wait; six years is a long time for a composer's voice to be silenced. It's not even that the music is bad in any way, because it isn't. It's probably Goldenthal's most accessible score since Michael Collins more than a decade ago, and contains a number of familiar Goldenthalisms that will please his fans greatly, as well as some very tonal and almost romantic passages which highlight a new side to his personality. But it's also very safe, very non-confrontational, and - at times - even a little bland. Even more unexpectedly, a little temp-track bleed through can be heard in some of the score's quieter moments, which seem to evoke the shifting string textures Hans Zimmer employed in scores like The Thin Red Line, The Ring, The Da Vinci Code, and even Batman Begins. There's very little of the convention-challenging music one has come to expect from him, very little in the way of the wonderfully realized dissonance fans of his adore, none of those trademark rasping trombones which have become uniquely associated with his sound. Of course, this is clearly the score Michael Mann needed him to write, and you can only write for the film in front of you, but even so, Goldenthal seems to be just dipping his toe back into the film music pool rather than diving confidently into the deep end. However, this is not to that the score is without merit, because at times Public Enemies enthralls. Much of the score is written with heavy emphasis on strings, very little brass, but with regular guest appearances by a soft, melancholy pianos, as if foreshadowing the ultimately desperate life Dillinger would lead. "Billie's Arrest", for example, drips with pathos, with a simple piano motif eventually giving way to a dark, tragic-sounding string section underpinned by furious rumbling violins that give the piece an overwhelming sense of emotion that one doesn't usually associate with Goldenthal's writing. The sadly brief "Love in the Dunes" is an almost dream-like romance piece for disconnected piano chords, accentuated by a subtle synth-string wash which gives it its wistful aura, while "Phone Call to Billie" has a jazzy muted saxophone element that maintains the feeling of separation and longing. Later, "Plane to Chicago" contains a magnificent brooding string elegy, accompanied by waving harps and tolling bells, that seems to become darker as it develops, and gradually turns into a thrusting scherzo full of motion and menace that actually reminds me of something Carter Burwell might write on his better days. The score's climax, "JD Dies", is where the Zimmer echoes really come to the fore, coming across as a combination of the "Finale" from Goldenthal's Titus, and the "Chevaliers de Sangreal" cue from The Da Vinci Code. In addition to Goldenthal's score - which runs for a hair over 16 minutes - the album from Decca records contains a number of jazz, blues and swing standards from the era, including some old classics from Billie Holliday, and two fantastic tracks from the wonderfully smoky-voiced Otis Taylor (the opening song, "Ten Million Slaves", is superb). There's also a sultry new version of the standard "Bye Bye Blackbird" by Mrs. Mark Isham, Diana Krall, a rollicking big band piece called "Chicago Shake" by Bruce Fowler (one of Hans Zimmer's regular orchestrators), and a indescribable version of the traditional hymn "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah", skewed and warped into something that is equal parts disturbing and hypnotic. Score fans may not enjoy the fact that Goldenthal's score has to share the album with a whole load of songs, but I found that it actually added a great deal to the experience. So why is Public Enemies disappointing? This may sound like a lame response, but it just is, and it's partly my own fault - after being starved of his talent for so long, I had been looking forward to feasting on a breathtaking new score, and instead we're given an appetizer. Pleasant, sure, technically accomplished, of course, but a relatively minor work even amongst Goldenthal's own filmography. Like I said, there's nothing inherently wrong with Public Enemies at all, and parts of it are really very good indeed. I should be grateful that Goldenthal is alive and able to write music at all, and of course I am - but I can't help but feel slightly unsatisfied.

Elliot Goldenthal's Brooding Score Works Hand In Hand With The Song Selections To Create The Films Sonic Identity
Elliot Goldenthal reunites with Michael Mann for the first time since Heat. Goldenthal is a very talented composer and with Public Enemies he provides a very simple full sound to support the film. Now with Michael Mann you can expect lots of handpicked songs by him as evident with his recent films. In fact most of his films except for Last Of The Mohicans utilize songs just as much as score. He definitely uses them as an editing tool and you can tell in the film. With Michael Mann though he makes sure the score works hand in hand with the song choices. You can watch Collateral and Miami Vice and see how they blend together to create the sonic identity of the film, which is the same case with Public Enemies. Score-wise there isn't that much, but what's there is fantastic. It's tense and brooding and slowly growing and growing until the final piece that closes out the film. There are a lot of strings and they swell in and out. One theme uses a solo piano. It's a very simple score. I'm guessing that every piece of music is here on the soundtrack, because honestly there isn't much else in the film. You also get a selection of period songs and some modern interpolations of classics such as "Bye Bye Blackbird". Zimmer collaborator Bruce Fowler did some orchestrations and provides one track of music too. What makes this CD worth owning is the piece "JD Dies", which is the capstone of the score. It's the piece that accompanies the climax of the film, which on its own is one hell of a scene. The tone and structure reminds me very much of The Thin Red Line by Hans Zimmer. Clearly that score was influential here since Michael Mann used a track from The Thin Red Line in the film and thanked Hans Zimmer in the end credits. Goldenthal's piece slowly builds and builds and erupts with a tragic downturn and an abrupt end. Those who have seen the film know exactly how well this piece works in the film; it carries the entire scene. Anyway, even though there is only a minimal amount of score in the film what's there is pretty good. It's simple and effective, which is all you can ask for. It's not a great score that will be remembered, but it definitely stuck with me after I saw the film.

Not what we want
I am a great fan of Michael Mann and his films. One of the most striking things about his oeuvre is his use of music. But Mann is less than generous in his soundtrack releases when it comes to his composers. 'Heat' (Elliot Goldenthal)and 'The Insider' (Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke)CD releases featured just 20-25 minutes of original score; 'Ali' (Gerrard & Bourke again) only a few tracks across two CDs; 'Collateral' (James Newton Howard & Antonio Pinto)only held a few pieces and 'Miami Vice' (John Murphy and Klaus Badelt) held only two pieces by the composers. When it was announced Mann was once more to work with Elliot Goldenthal on 'Public Enemies', a period film, I looked forward to a CD jam-packed with original pieces from this uniquely gifted composer. But once again Mann disappoints. What we get is seven pieces amounting to around 16 minutes of score - the rest of the CD padded out with period muisc. I have seen Mann's epic movie, and it feature practically wall to wall music from Goldenthal, all high up in the mix. Dark, mournful and deeply affecting it is one of Goldenthal's finest works, and he deserves more when it came to the CD release. Why Mann didn't release two CDs, as is common now, one soundtrack, the other score (or indeed a two CD set, score and soundtrack on each CD, like 'Benjamin Button') is beyond me. But maybe if enough fans protest we may yet get the full score belatedly released as download or disc (as happened with John Murphy's '28 Weeks Later' and 'Sunshine' and Clint Mansell's 'Smokin' Aces') so please let the campaign start here. Mann and Goldenthal - a match made in heaven, but this abortion of a release deserves to be ignored.

Song that wasn't on the CD
During one of the bank jobs in the movie, an instrumental version of Ten Million Slaves by Otis Taylor was playing in the background. Does anybody know where I could possibly download this? Thanks!

Another well-chosen soundtrack/score by Michael Mann
For those not familiar with soundtracks/scores for Michael Mann movies, Mann almost always chooses music based on how well they serve the story and the imagery on the screen. The songs he chooses almost always convey great mood. You won't find a bunch of corporate music samplers designed to sell units, as you do on most so-called soundtracks -- those type of albums are designed to attract consumers with big name acts, and throw in some lesser-known groups, giving them a marketing boost. Whether it's a song with lyrics or an orchestral score, Mann doesn't choose lightly. He seems to choose with great insight, and the tracks here on "Public Enemies" are no different than his previous scores/soundtracks. All the songs here convey the time and era (1930s, Depression-era), and are joined in between by orchestral tracks from the movie, which almost all have a sense of foreboding. The music doesn't overwhelm, and doesn't underplay the seriousness of the dramatic scenes -- they fit just right, as they don't overstay their welcome and prove just memorable enough, presenting the right sense of emotion and tension. Anyone who likes Michael Mann movies, and appreciate his well-thought-out soundtracks, will enjoy "Public Enemies" as well.