The Lincoln Lawyer Composed by Cliff Martinez
Promotional Release (2010)
Rating:
4/10
More soundclips below provided by AmazonMp3
“...something to
break up the monotony is always welcome, and by the end of THE
LINCOLN LAWYER, many listeners will be dreading a retrial.”
Better Lawyer Up
Review by Richard Buxton
CLIFF MARTINEZ is yet another example of musicians lending their talents
to film scores. Yet, in a manner contrasting to that of the normal
process, Martinez has found what seems like a permanent residence in the
world of film scoring, beginning in 1989 with SEX LIES AND VIDEOTAPE,
MARTINEZ has accumulated over 25 film scoring credits to date, suggesting
that his real success and longevity is to be found in film music.
MARTINEZ teams up with director BRAD FURMAN, a relatively new director,
for THE LINCOLN LAWYER, a thriller revolving around defense attorney
Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey) and a murder case.
Barring the more light-hearted affairs of the genre, legal dramas aren’t
known for their thematic content, with composers opting for a more ambient
underscoring approach, an attribute MARTINEZ maintains in his music for
THE LINCOLN LAWYER. “How’s It Hangin’ Counselor” (1) introduces listeners
to what they can expect over the next 40 minutes, as within the 2.5 minute
running-time, the opening track provides a brief summary of the dominant
forces at work in MARTINEZ’S music. Opening with a dream-like pads and a
nonchalant bass line the track quickly picks up the pace with guitar stabs
that eventually lay way to a percussion dominated climax. The emotions
that the track evokes are relatively shallow as the music rarely attempts
to challenge the listener.
Sticking to the formula, “Looks A Little Short To Me” (2) scuttles along
with its percussive synths and the ever-present synth pad. It soon becomes
clear that the music is unlikely to ever evolve beyond what it already is
in the opening half of the score. “We Did A Couple Of Things Right” (4)
has plenty of atmosphere from the off, but stagnates by the end of its
playtime.
By “I Can Kick Your Ass” (6), the standards of MARTINEZ’S score have been
entirely set and the emotions the music evokes can be arranged into
relatively defined categories. There’s the intense, almost monotone
atmosphere as heard in “You Lied Val” (7), the playful rhythm’s as in the
“Looks A Little Short To Me” (2) and “Shoot Me Right Now” (16) and the
pedestrian reflective progressions of “911, What’s Your Emergency” (18).
The score does occasionally utilize the established paradigms within which
it is set to good effect; “Direct Verdict” (14) barely evolves across the
2 minutes, but the rhythmic propulsion of the synth creates a strong basis
for the piece and as underscore works well to drive the onscreen events
onwards.
What is most difficult about analyzing such music is how the tracks heard
in the score could be arranged in almost any order and the effect would be
largely the same. It has little defined structure to speak of, offering no
real set up, evolutions or catharsis. It would be unfair however, to judge
the score within the same parameters of score’s with greater thematic
demands, as it is not one of these films, not by a long shot. Still,
something to break up the monotony is always welcome, and by the end of
THE LINCOLN LAWYER, many listeners will be dreading a retrial.
