Sentence:  Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a <WSD>thumping</WSD> score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America's discomfort and its foes' glee. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To throb with a muffled rhythmic sound.