Soundtrack Review: Forfeit (2008)

This is a review of the motion picture score Forfeit by Andrew Gross.

“Dark and mysterious, the director got exactly what he wanted and so did I. It’s top class inside it’s given parameters.”

Forfeit is a 2007 psychological thriller movie and the score by Andrew Gross was recently released. It is about Frank O’Neal who once murdered his abusive father. He has massive issues and plan to stage a robbery and set up his old girlfriend to take the blame. It’s a tale of revenge and obsession. Andrew Gross might not be so known to the most of you, but he has composed for 39 movies and tv shows including 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag and Tenacious D in the Pick of Destinty. The movie itself is very dark and dramatic as is the score. It’s available as a digital only release and the note from Director Andrew Brennan Shea says that Andrew Gross was handpicked for the job. It also contains 4 cues from the 2002 movie Solitude.

Track List

1. Forfeit Main Titles (*****)
   
2. I Want You To Rot (****)
3. Jimmy’s Drug Deal (***)
4. 18 Years (*****)
   
5. 911 Call (****)
6. Stealing Files (*****)
   
7. The Preacher’s Theme (*****)
   
8. Far & Away (feat. Rachel Haden) (****)
9. Come Over Tomorrow (****)
10. Unfinished Business (****)
11. Truck Robbery (***)
12. Forfeit (*****)
    
13. Finger Printing (****)
14. Borrowed Hand (****)
15. Sunrise Over L.A. (***)
16. The Big Heist (****)
17. The Good Deed (*****)
    
18. You Killed Frank (*****)
    
19. Our Son (****)
20. Frank’s Sermon (****)
21. Forfeit End Titles (4 Foot Re-Mix) (*****)
    
22. Solitude Main Titles (****)
23. Broken Glass (****)
24. Driving To Nowhere (****)
25. Solitude Love (*****)
    

Forfeit & Solitude

It contains 47 minutes of score from the movie Forfeit and 7 minutes from another movie called Solitude. This 54 minutes score from the movie Forfeit & Solitude is a very dark piece of music, so get ready to be shown an addictive and dark world by Andrew Gross. Right from the start of the score with the excellent cue ‘Forfeit Main Titles’ you get excactly what the doctor ordered (if you are not afraid of the dark). The expressive dark tones that hit you, gives you a feeling of loss and despair. The use of ambient underscoring and pulsating beats top, mixed with a boy choir voice gives a great example of what to expect from this soundtrack.

The many great cues on this score goes great with any kind of work and thinking. It’s depressive, but in a good way. The cue ’18 years’ contains the beats of a beaten piano that just makes you think and wonder about life. The star of the show is still the boy choir voice that sometimes make its presence felt like in the cue ‘Stealing Files’ and particularly ‘The Preacher’s Theme’ which is so suitable given the topic. It does give a feeling of faith, or lack thereof. It continues with the cue ‘Forfeit’, ‘The Good Deed’, ‘You Killed Frank’, ‘Forfeit End Titles (4 Foot Re-Mix)’. There’s also a cue featuring some singing on it and it’s called ‘Far & Away’. The artist is Rachel Haden and it’s the only cue which sounds like it has some positivity around it.

Feelings

At this point I am curious to what other people think about when listening to this score. I wonder, with all it’s material, whether it picks out certain feelings that might seem uncomfortable when brought to the surface. It succeeded doing that constantly, and I feel that any score capable of bringing powerful emotions from me is a great score. This is one of the reasons why Forfeit has such a high regard from me. It might not work for everyone, but I have a feeling it will constantly grow on you.

It’s also interesting that the cues from Solitude contains material quite similar to what you find in Forfeit. Particularly the cue ‘Solitude Love’ is very interesting with a rich tapestry of ambient sounds. To those of you wondering, he does other kind of scores as well. I also happen to have the score to 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag which is completely different, with emphasis on the completely part. It’s best described as a bossa nova comedy score. In my opinion, Forfeit is far superior and it shows how much Andrew Gross has grown as a composer. Forfeit is what Andrew Gross was made for scoring. He can be very proud of his achievements and I look forward to his next project.

Conclusion

Forfeit is dark and mysterious, and the director got exactly what he wanted and so did I. It’s top class inside it’s given parameters. The brilliant sounds on this score takes you places you might not want to be, but it’s highly addictive and highly therapeutical as well. I recommend this to anyone who wants to explore their dark sides and is not afraid to push boundaries.

Listen to Forfeit by Andrew Gross below:

Other articles of interest:

• Soundtrack Review: Frost/Nixon (2008)
• Soundtrack Review: Flash of Genius (2008)
• Soundtrack Review: Valkyrie (2008)
• Soundtrack Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
• Soundtrack Review: Seven Pounds (2008)

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