Music Composed by Brian Tyler
Rating: ****

In the past, I’ve lamented a few times that while Brian Tyler clearly has a great deal of talent, he rarely lands a project that gives him a chance to really stretch himself. Sure, scores like Darkness Falls, The Hunted, and Paparazzi are all good fun, but there’s only really so much a composer can do within such a shallow series of genres. But every now and then, we’ve seen hints at what he could do if given a film that wasn’t defined by chase scenes and special effects. His early score to Frailty displayed a gift for sensitive psychological scoring, while Godsend demonstrated a growing prowess for subtle dramatic impact before the film forced him to resort back to slasher clichés. Now, with The Final Cut, Tyler has finally been given a film that allows him to realize the great potential these earlier works had. The resulting score displays some of the most intelligent and moving writing the composer has ever given us.

I can only make very limited comments on the film itself, as it has yet to make its nationwide release, but advance word promises an intriguing mixture of moving human drama and intellectually satisfying science fiction. Director Omar Naim’s story, concerning a man who isolates himself from humanity while coldly editing the memories of the dead, evidently struck an empathetic chord with Tyler (let’s hope that little anecdote sounds less disturbing after we see the film). But regardless of why Tyler found the film so moving, the fact that he did clearly shows in his writing. Though executed with a great deal of restrain from start to finish, The Final Cut displays some of the most emotionally rich music that has ever poured from the composer’s pen. It make take some patience to get into the music and unlock all of its secrets, but great rewards are in store for those willing to put in the effort.

Brian Tyler

Oddly enough, as much as Tyler’s voice is evident in this work, what seems the most striking is how much the score owes other composers. Now I’ve never heard Tyler speak of his influences, but I’d have a very hard time believing he didn’t listen to enormous amounts of Danny Elfman and Phillip Glass before going into this score. I say that not because The Final Cut directly plagiarizes anything specific from either of these composers, but because it seems to be absorbed with their stylistic preferences. Elfman’s penchant for reserved but meaningful motifs, subtly yearning chord progressions, and slightly muted orchestration flows into every crevice of this score. Meanwhile, Philip Glass’s mesmerizing cycles of cascading arpeggios and minimalist layering drive the music’s momentum. But please understand that I do not for one instant intend this observation as a criticism. Despite the similarities, Tyler’s score is by no means a derivative hackwork. Rather, it shows that Tyler has been paying painstakingly close attention to the subtleties and nuances in both composers’ writing, to the point where he’s absorbed them into his own voice. I’m only happy that he’s chosen to take his inspiration from composers known for taking more unconventional approaches to their writing.

Thus it follows that like many of Elfman’s recent efforts, The Final Cut is comprised of a thick tapestry of short interconnected motifs. From this tapestry, two major themes stand out. The first, best described as the score’s main theme, is comprised of two short phrases, the first somber, the second yearning. It’s a simple melody, but this makes it easier for Tyler to hide it in every nook and cranny of the score. It first appears in “Final Cut Main Title” (a track title for those who would not otherwise be sure which film the main title was from), but you have to struggle to make it out. In this cue and many that follow, Tyler nearly buries the theme in a flurry of the afore-mentioned Glassian (quiet, it’s a word now) cyclical arpeggios. While I know I shouldn’t comment without seeing the film, I can’t help but point out what a brilliant symbolic gesture this is. Just as the protagonist’s humanity is buried beneath layers of cold scientific calculation, Tyler’s yearning theme is buried beneath cold layers of calculated minimalism. It’s an insightful touch that really proves just how much thought has gone into Tyler’s writing. The second major motif is much more tender, drawing from Glass’s solo piano album in its accompaniment, but ultimately crafting a heartfelt melody that is entirely Tyler. The composer puts the theme through a number of guises, but none more poignant than the duet for piano and cello in “Rememory”. Various smaller motifs also fill the scores crevices, but with minimal knowledge of the film, it would be fruitless to describe them in great detail. Suffice to say, each new listen reveals a new connection, and nearly every melodic or rhythmic figure that appears early on finds new development later in the score.

For all my praise, however, I must acknowledge that this score will not be for everyone. This is extremely subtle material, more so than Frailty even, and I imagine many listeners won’t have the patience (or the attention span) to sit through something like this for nearly 70 minutes. There are few blatant diversions from the soft intimate trance Tyler sets (even the brief hints of action licks in “Desperate Pursuit”audio clip seem toned down), and the subtlety may not be enough for those seeking more easily accessible highlights. The lack of diversion in tone doesn’t bother me personally until the score nears the end of its running time. In fact, my only major complaint about the score is the fact that it never reaches anything resembling a climax. Tyler builds and develops his themes and motifs throughout the score to great effect, but he never quite builds or develops them into anything bigger. I’m not saying that the score needs a big obvious showdown, but one expects some minimal increase in dramatic tension as the score nears the finish line. With The Final Cut, there’s very little impression that the end of the score is any different than the beginning. It’s not a big enough problem to pay a serious detriment to the listening experience, but it does keep the score from crossing that line that separates great scores from classics.

I should also mention that the album includes two songs Tyler composed for the film. Tyler wrote both music and lyrics for “Enchanted Days,” a jazz lounge number, and “Hollow,” a heavy metal song, performing vocals and instrumentals on the latter. His versatility is certainly impressive, but I must confess that both songs feel a bit generic, and neither meshes well with the film score proper.

These complaints feel insignificant, however, when set against everything that’s great in this work. True, a score like this is ultimately best appreciated after viewing the film, as I’m sure that music will feel even more meaningful after understanding its context. But even with minimal knowledge of the film, The Final Cut remains a rich and moving listen. I don’t know how people who became Tyler fans on the virtue of adrenaline-rush scores like Children of Dune or even The Hunted will respond to it, but anyone whose been craving a return to the contemplative touch he brought to Frailty (or anyone fond of Elfman or Glass, of course) should not pass this up. It’s one of Tyler’s finest works to date.

Music Composed and Conducted by Brian Tyler; Orchestrated by Robert Elhai, Dana Niu and Brian Tyler; The Northwest Sinfonia Recorded at St. Thomas Chapel, Washington; Recorded by Jeff Vaughn / Mixed by Joel Iwataki; Album Produced by Brian Tyler; Availability: In print; Label (Catalogue): Varèse Sarabande, (302 066 615 2); Release Date: September 28, 2004

01. The Final Cut Main Title (3′55)
02. Fletcher The Cutter (1′48)
03. Download Preparation (1′41)
04. Dreams (2′51)
05. Protestors (1′41)
06. Don’t Touch (0′58)
07. Zoe Revelation (2′51)
08. Desperate Pursuit (1′58)
09. Absolution (1′17)
10. Enchanted Days (4′03)
Music and Lyrics by Brian Tyler
Vocals by Kathryn Bostic
11. Eye Tech (3′06)
12. Bittersweet (1′23)
13. Tattoo Parlor (1′14)
14. Alan’s Memory (4′39)
15. Hollow - Performed by Ja Wah (3′31)
16. Enter Apartment (1′58)
17. Alan The Cutter (3′43)
18. Sin Eater (1′38)
19. Inversion (1′22)
20. Seeing A Ghost (1′49)
21. Violation (1′44)
22. Riga de Pichetto (1′13)
23. Outside Theater (0′42)
24. The Amazing Alan (1′05)
25. Journey Back (4′27)
26. I, Bannister (0′40)
27. Rememory (2′39)
28. The Final Cut End Title (3′01)

Total Playing Time: 62′57