Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a Way to Relive the Movie!, 21 Nov 2003
No doubt about it, Thomas Newman is one hell of a composer. And this soundtrack proves just that. I had seen the movie and absolutely loved it from start to finish, and I remembered the music really standing out to me. It was dark, haunting, and touching, all at the same time. So, I decided to get the soundtrack, and I am glad I did.It really is like reliving the movie. I really enjoyed listening to the movie score. It's breathtaking and amazing. It can be soft, dark, haunting, and beautiful. The music really is something to hear. I especially enjoy the piano playing that takes place on this score. The soundtrack also includes some actual jazz songs that appeared in the film, as well. I really enjoy all of the tracks, but the ones that stand out to me the most are "Rock Island, 1931," "Murder," "Blood Dog," "Grave Drive," "Road to Chicago," "Ghosts," "Lexington Hotel, Room 1432," "Road to Perdition," and the "Perdition" piano duet performed by Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. But the other ones that I did not list are very amazing as well. If you love the movie and you love a great movie score, "Road to Perdition" is the one for you. In the tradtion of "Unbreakable" and "Insomnia," this score gives you different moods, like happiness, dread, fear, danger, sadness, anger, and redemption. A great purchase, if you ask me.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An amazing spell-binding and bewitching score..........., 26 Sep 2002
From the moment the cinema lights dimmed and the orchestra struck up Thomas Newman's magical score, I knew that I'd be online in a few hours ordering my own copy (sad...I know)
And listening to it now at home, it's even more haunting and breath-taking than I remembered.
Thomas Newman is the master of spine-tingling simple melodies, whether it be the heart-breaking 'Brooks was here' scene from the Shawshank Redemption, or the uplifting subtlety of the tv show 'Six Feet Under'.
This (in my opinion) is his most passionate and moving score to date (and he's done many). The cresendo of the strings while argueing with the gentle piano melodies, is a wonder to behold, and will move even the hardest of heart!
The only criticism is the ordering of the CD. There are 3 naff 1940's Rhythm King style tracks (sorry if you're a fan) that totally break the magical and bewitching work that Newman weaves. But it's a small sacrifice to make for a great soundtrack. What's that THUDDD I hear......could it be an Oscar nomination.???? I think so..........
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dark and moody Thomas Newman, 2 Oct 2002
By A Customer
Thomas Newman collaborates with Sam Mendes for the second time this year in the film Road To Perdition, and it is hard not to take notice of the Oscar-worthy duo. The film, which takes place in the era around the 1930s, deals with mobsters, hit men, and Tom Hanks's character on the run with his son. From the very beginning Newman's score puts forth the tone of one of the darkest scores for this genre I've ever heard. It is also one of the more emotionally moving scores I've experienced.
The first track is immediately interesting, due to the incredibly dark nature of the music along with Newman's use of Celtic instruments. While he doesn't go overboard with them (they don't appear again for sometime later), they give a nice flavor to the score that is immediately noticeable. There are lots of interesting moments to be heard from the string section and the use of piano (both solo and in accompaniment) works very well in bringing about the emotional level of the music. His scant use of a children's choir is excellent, but it left me yearning for more.
As a contrast to the dark melodic pieces, Newman's suspense music runs along a more bizarre vein. With dissonant performances and quirky percussion noises, these tend to become a little painful to listen to, but still fascinating in their own sort of way. Newman takes these cues to the edge of being unlistenable but never allows them to fall over. Their appearance is rather jarring in respect with the surrounding cues, but they thankfully don't last too long.
As far as thematic work goes, it is found here, though Newman likes to keep it subtle. For this type of score, it's quite a good call, and there are at least plenty of interesting moments to make up for heavy thematic usage, as a score of this type runs a great risk of becoming bland. As it is, the music doesn't escape from that fault entirely, but it succeeds far more often than it fails. Newman's themes are beautifully realized, and as all great emotional themes go, the primarily string-based ones are quite strong. Several period songs are sprinkled around the album, but I found myself just skipping past them. Stylistically they are a total departure from the music, and thus break up the flow a little. It would have been better if the songs were congregated at the end of the album, but at least they are easy to bypass.
The long and short of it is, get it if you are a serious Thomas Newman fan, or if the film struck you profoundly.
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