The Good German
Just as director Steven Soderbergh paid tribute to the atmospheric black and white thrillers of the postwar period with this movie, composer Thomas Newman came up with a score that strives to evoke the majesty of works by the likes of Miklós Rózsa, Max Steiner and, of course, his own father, Alfred Newman. For once the enormous ensemble credited as the Hollywood Studio Symphony does not feel wasted: most of the brooding ambiance is created by thick, dark clouds of strings, and tension often rises from the strings' juxtaposition with brass. Newman also makes good use of oft-neglected instrumental voices: Check out the harp on "Muller's Billet," "Trip Ticket" and "Golem," for instance; it really makes you wonder why that instrument isn't used more. In terms of mood-setting, the music is perfect: listening to cues such as "Kurfustendamm" will instantly transport you back to a rainy street in 1945--or rather, a Hollywood backlot made to look like a rainy street in 1945. Sure, this is a deliberately retro soundtrack, but it's done with elegance and deep understanding of a certain classic scoring style.--Elisabeth Vincentelli