"V For Vendetta" can be considered as the first commercial blockbuster type of film in 2006. The music behind this venture is primarily from Dario Marianelli who composed the score used in the film. Marianelli seems to be getting a lot of work these days and this film is perhaps his strongest vehicle for attention.
Along those lines, I've noticed that in this industry composers are selected to work on movies based on their immediate success, which is why you'll see composers such as Marianelli chalking up scoring assignments on a frequent basis. Similar cases can be made with composers like Klaus Badelt and Marco Beltrami (to cite recent examples).
The score for this film can be best appraised as music that is easy to access. The tone is shaded with darkness, but retains a counterpoint of softness that essentially makes it work. Add to that a mischievous underscore that often appears and here you have great diversity. This blended style makes this soundtrack click.
Marianelli calls upon a technique that garnered him some praise for his work on Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm." This score offers more of a percussive force, however, largely because the action oriented cues offer some bite. Let's say it's a strong shade above the type of incidental action cues we fans have been growing accustomed to.
The album is comprised of a few non-score songs in the 13 tracks, but fortunately, the score cues offer a decent running time to gain fulfillment. Utilizing the friendly skip feature, it's easy to flow through to the score tracks if you so prefer.
I should also note that this score closes out strong. Budding intensity reaches soaring heights as the last couple of score tracks kick in. The best work is indeed saved for last and also includes a nice surprise full of fireworks! I'll let you discover this on your own.
Overall, Marianelli keeps up the good work as a follow-up to his recent success. While this is not quite a breathtaking soundtrack, it is enjoyable enough to recommend and very well might be Marianelli's ticket to future promising score assignments.
Final Score: An above average soundtrack, "V For Vendetta" delivers a musical punch that merits attention.
