In Howard Shore, we have someone who continues to rise as a marquee name in the film scoring business.  We all know what he has done with the "Rings" trilogy, but what I will be keeping an eye on is to see where he goes in the future.  To be up there with the Williams and Goldsmiths (Jerry, not Joel) of the world, one has to produce superior content over a sustained period of time.  Shore has the potential to do so, and some might argue, he has already started down that path.

 

Shore's score for "A History of Violence" is bold and deliberate.  He strikes up some serious dramatic tension for this picture, and does so in a restrained, balanced manner.  It's a technique that I am sure works well in the movie itself.  As a listener, though, I am left underwhelmed.

 

Ironically, this score is produced professionally, and the music is polished.  For me, It's a simple matter of not finding anything I can personally take away from it.  As I sit here writing this review, I can barely recall anything that stood out to me or any uniqueness that will make me come back to the music again at a later date. Perhaps the only takeway I can summon is that the fullness of the music reminded me a lot of Zimmer's "A Thin Red Line." Take that as you will.

 

Granted, there is texture to the music, and a fundamental idea of using the music as  counterpoints to the characters' conflicts between the world of family and the world of violence.  Alas, that doesn't do it for me when listening to it.

Call it personal taste, but I'm not recommending this one.  It is consistent, and serves the film well, but the listening experience keeps me out of the loop.  It never really opened up to me. Just my honest opinion.

Final Score: Shore fans might find a lot to appreciate with this effort, but this is not a score I will be listening to with any regularity.