Soundtrack Review: The International (2009)
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This is a review of the motion picture score The International by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek & Reinhold Heil.
“For Klimek and Heil in particular, this is a personal best since One Hour Photo”
The tourist landmark set piece of Tom Tykwer’s new espionage thriller, The International, a shootout in the Guggenheim museum, has become the focal point of the film’s advertising, and as the album’s cover art, also serves as our introduction to the score by Tykwer, Johnny Klimek And Reinhold Heil.
Track List
- Meeting Schumer (*****)
- Morgue (****)
- Salinger Comes Home (*****)
- Wexler Meets The Consultant (*****)
- Salinger In Luxembourg (*****)
- Bugs (*****)
- The Calvini Hit (*****)
- Calvini Crime Scene Investigation (****)
- Security Check (****)
- Driving To NYC (***)
- The Isaacson Files (****)
- Tailing The Consultant (****)
- Inside The Guggenheim (**)
- The Guggenheim Shootout (***)
- The Consultant’s Death (***)
- On The Way To Moody’s Bail Bonds (***)
- The Wexler Interrogation (***)
- Ella Leaves Lou / Calvini Headquarters (***)
- Istanbul (***)
- Chasing Jonas Skarssen (****)
- The International End Title (****)
Architecture of Aggression
The spiralling storeys of this distinctively modern, architectural setting, are applicable to the very ideology of the soundtrack, affording the composers a landscape for sonic sleight of hand. The cues, while exuding clarity with their straight lines of slow- burn simmer and sleek reflective surfaces, are at once murky and impenetrable, making them hard to read. Throughout its running time there is a feeling of insecurity, visibility clouded by the doubt of being unable to discern friend from foe. The names of Schumer, Wexler, Calvini and Jonas Skarssen provide the titles for various cues, and like the music that describes them, are synonymous with untrusting, sinister, anonymous cooperate global modernism. No call-to-fight chest beaters of the Jason Bourne variety here, these are the names that only bankroll worldwide terrorist attacks; they don’t get involved in them.
The few narrative musical threads are coiled on and around themselves, no doubt rich and full of danger, but never fully revealing themselves. Clusters of quivering strings and percussive thumps recede back down rabbit-hole getaways as quickly as they emerge (The Calvini Hit), yet each cue is never less than utterly engrossing. No single track is ever brought fully to boil (The Guggenheim Shootout), but it’s details that matter here, not flamboyance. The exhilaration comes from the assuredly ever-present tenseness of mood. The over-egged seriousness of the string work throughout (Calvini Crime Scene Investigation) only heightens the cumlative grim potency of the album as a whole.
Whether it be the scuttle of electronics (Wexler Meets The Consultant, Salinger In Luxembourg) or the echoing fission of shimmering single piano notes (Salinger Comes Home), you’ll be looking over your shoulder more than once during the hour-long running time. The emphasis on mystery over explosions (Bugs) is what puts The International top of the pile for modern spy thrillers. Where others are glamorous, here it’s grizzled (Chasing Jonas Skarssen), intrigue always put before relentless energy (The Wexler Interrogation).
Conclusion
All of the elements I’ve so far described are brought back together and reprised brilliantly in The International End Title, the themes slinkily unfurled in a similar way to that of Graeme Revell on the end titles of Aeon Flux (a favourite score of mine). The trio of composers have come a long way from the restless hyperventilation of their debut Run Lola Run. For Klimek and Heil in particular, this is a personal best since One Hour Photo
(Tailing The Consultant recalls that film’s climatic moments), a score that still resides in my all-time top ten. Never cracking so much as a smile, the level of bleak effiancy here has to be admired even when it runs out of steam somewhat in the second half.
NB: In the cue “Bugs” (and others), one of the instruments sounds as though it’s being plucked, wonderfully impressing upon us a feeling of bubbling tension. The same effect was also brilliantly employed in One Hour Photo and I’ve often wondered about it. To me, this sounds harp-like, but not as heavy, any answers?
Listen to The International by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek & Reinhold Heil below:
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Comments
Nice review.
NB about “Bugs” instrument. At 1.57 I think that it is a harp too, we can even hear the nails sometimes.;-)
Sorry, but I found nothing to be excited about here. A big slice of unassuming thriller beats. Even the action cues failed to stir any sort of rhythmic excitement. I can at least applaud Jorn for getting me excited about a score with one of his reviews…I cannot however applaud the score.
Jorn Tillnes Reply:
March 1st, 2009 at 9:28 am
I have to agree with you Jon. It’s nothing to be excited about. It’s a poor man’s version of The Dark Knight in essence, very poor. I really tried to like this. As for the applauding, it’s all Timothy since it’s his review 
Good score but reminds me too much of The Dark Knight and Assassin’s Creed (well, the track “Istanbul” – 
).
Also, the end credits, I think a member from Muse helped compose it.
Jorn Tillnes Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:36 am
It’s like “The Dark Knight Lite Edition”. It’s ok, nothing spectacular.
Soundtrack Seek
great review as usual, and it sure made me even more excited for this score than i already am. Klimek and Heil need to score more movies.
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