Brothers Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna come together in collaboration for the score to "Fracture," a fairly dark psychological thriller that has been met modest critical reviews. The film pits the talents of Anthony Hopkins against Ryan Gosling as their characters face off against one another and makes for a nice acting tandem between the two. While well cast, a film like this presents a formula for music that shouldn't surprise anyone -- scores for movies of this genre can often be predictable.
Regarding the composers, I've been familiar with Mychael's work for many years now, often appreciating his minimalist, diverse approach for the movies he's worked on. I think some of his best work includes the recent assignment, "The Nativity Story" as well as his spot-on approach for the untraditional Civil War film, "Ride With the Devil." I'm not as familiar with the work of his brother, so this collaboration offered me a chance to gain some experience with his style.
As one would suspect, a collaboration between composers who are also brothers should deliver a consistent result, and this is true with "Fracture." Also unsurprisingly, the music favors a dark tone throughout the course of the album and is held together by piano motifs and suspenseful underscore. By and large, it's a well-written effort and offers a very clean sound mix. Ultimately, the success of the score is really determined whether or not the listener indulges in music of this ilk. If you are the type of listener who enjoys traditional suspense music with subtle intent, than you will enjoy this more than I.
As you go from one track to the next, you'll notice that the score rarely shifts away from the darkened mood of the story. Therefore, you'll find a very consistent flow of music as you're listening to this. The highlight track of the album is from Track 12, "
I Decide When It Gets Pulled." The cue begins with a soft yet sinister piano introduction and steadily transitions into a crescendo of action that pulls you right into the story. The lure of this track is in the build up, with soft pounding drums working consistently in the backdrop and an eruption of brass in key moments. The Danna brothers really engage the listener with his movement and again, I found it to be the best effort on the album.
In the end, it's hard for me to critique this effort. It's so very well made and both composers do an excellent job of working together. Ultimately, however, this isn't the type of score I can listen to repeatedly. There simply isn't enough accessible, thematic material for me to take away from the score due to the genre the Danna brothers are asked to work in. Judging from just the listening experience, this one is a tough sell for the average listener, however well made the score may be.
