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Soundtrack Review: The Conspirator (2011)

Reviewer: JØrn Tillnes

The Conspirator Soundtrack Review: This is a review of the film score The Conspirator by Mark Isham.

"Just skip the 3 star tracks and you will have a wonderful listening experience"

Who killed Abraham Lincoln? History tells us it's a guy called John Wilkes Booth who shot him in a theatre. There has been numerous conspiracy theories about this murder like it is when any president get shot. This movie directed by Robert Redford tries to answer a few questions and possibly add a few conspiracy theories of his own. Mary Surratt is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. This is her story and the music is written by Mark Isham.

Track List

1. A Genuine War Hero	****
2. Into Position	****
3. A Traiterous and Murderous Conspiracy	*****
4. April 14, 1865	*****
5. One Bullet, But Not One Man	*****
6. The Conspirators	***
7. To Uphold One's Oath	***
8. The Boarding House	****
9. Second Floor, On The Left	***
10. In The Matter of Mary Surratt	****
11. If You Can Prove She's Guilty	***
12. Fools Like You	****
13. Anna	***
14. Sic Temper Tyrannis	***
15. Did You Hire This Man?	****
16. Mary Is Sick	***
17. Who's Side Are You On	***
18. Lloyd Falters	***
19. Whiskey Pickup	***
20. Aiken Incriminates John	***
21. Aiken Antagonizes Lloyd	***
22. A Betraying Witness	***
23. Conduct Unbecoming	***
24. You Need To Tread Lightly	***
25. Anna Goes to Court	***
26. Anna Pleads to see Her Mother	****
27. Our Laws are Written Here	***
28. Another Casualty of War	***
29. There Should Only be Three	*****
30. I Will Not Abandon Her	****
31. In Times of War, The Law Falls Silent, Part 1	****
32. In Times of War, The Law Falls Silent, Part 2	*****
33. 13 Steps	****
34. Peace at Last	*****
35. End Credits	*****
36. A Genuine War Hero (Alternate)	***
37. One Bullet, But Not One Man (Alternate Ending Pickup)	*****
38. Peace at Last (Alternate)	*****

Editions

As of late, Mark has been publishing his scores on his own label MIM and like "The Mechanic" this also get 3 versions. First there's The Complete Collector's Edition that I review here. It is the complete score and includes all the cues written and recorded for the film including those not used in the film. Then there's (s)Edition which is Mark's personal edit of the score, including the highlights from the film. Finally there's the Two Disc Limited Edition that has both Complete and (s)Edition signed by Mark with an MIM sticker and a limited edition MIM American Apparel T-Shirt.

Editions aside, I wanted the complete experience so I opted for the Complete edition with all the cues.

It's an exciting story we're being told here and the music is happy to help along. 'One Bullet, But Not One Man' is a fantastic track full of intrigue and excitement. The rhythm helped along by short strings suggest swift justice and a cry for scapegoats. It's tracks like that and the emotional 'April 14, 1865' that really helps the story and the score. I can't even imagine what it must have been like in that theater, but the scenes must have been horrific. A beloved president has fallen and the cue 'April 14, 1865' is a beautifully rendered hymn towards that inevitable outcome.

There are a lot of cues here that could have been gone, but that's why Mark create the (s)Edition. I am a completest so I have to listen to every single cue to get a proper judgment on the final score.

The whole ending starting with 'There Should Only be Three' is really great. Cues upon cues with great suspense and drama and the heroic theme played first in the cue 'April 14, 1865' is again showing it's beauty. It's not something you hear Mark do often but it really would be great if you could sneak in a couple of emotional themes like that in each score you make.

Conclusion

The Conspirator has a lot of excitement to be had. Just skip the 3 star tracks and you will have a wonderful listening experience. Mark Isham seems to have taken a small step towards perhaps a new field of scoring. This feels more explosive when action is called upon and more subtle and thematic when dramatic scenes are needed. I really enjoyed this score and I hope that some of the ingredients will follow along into Mark's next project.

->Buy the MP3 Album on Amazon<-

->Buy the Album on iTunes<-

Listen to The Conspirator soundtrack by Mark Isham below:

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