"World Trade Center", much like "United 93" from earlier this year, takes on a very difficult subject matter about the events of 9/11, the day that altered life as we knew it to be. While "United 93" depicted the events of the tragic flight, Oliver Stone's film focused on the events of the World Trade Center, and specifically, two survivors who overcame the odds to find a way to live. I found it interesting that Stone, typically cavalier when it comes to filmmaking style, chose to take a more conventional approach and deliver a tale of inspiration.

With the pressure that Stone faced, the other talent involved with this production wasn't far behind. There was no margin for error given the subject matter. Thus, you can imagine the challenge that Craig Armstrong was faced with.

The best way to summarize Armstrong's music as it's heard in the film is to say that it is a low-key, high impact score. The notes are delicately in balance and remains safely tucked away in the background for the most part. When the timing called for it, Armstrong was able to hit all the key moments with just the right tone and impact.

When listening to the music apart from the film, it's tough to say that I enjoyed the experience on its own. While the score plays elegantly within the movie, I found that the main theme, typically represented with the piano leading the way, felt a bit repetitious and became frustrating to contend with. Another thing I noticed is that I rarely felt moved during the listening experience alone and the that the music failed to connect with my emotions in this capacity. The one moment that really did work well for me was from track 6, the choral piece. This is a beautifully performed cue and made me want to hear more of this type of music in other segments of the soundtrack.

All this makes for an interesting experience. Here we have the music succeeding wonderfully when attached to the film, yet falls short when it's forced to sustain itself on its own. Further, one can say that this leaves the composer off the hook since his or her primary goal is to write music tailored to the film with the stand-alone experience coming second. It's an interesting debate, however, I tend to stick with my mission statement and will offer my grade based on the listening experience which is detached from the film.

Final Score: "World Trade Center" is a delicately balanced score that finds its rightful place when heard in the film and makes for a deceiving stand-alone listening experience.