Nothing But The Truth Composed by Larry Groupé
Promo Release (2008)
Rating:
5/10
“Unlike the
sumptuously moving score for THE CONTENDER, this score won't garner
a lot of attention; however, if [NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH] somehow
receives an official release and you live or fantasize about a life
of serious political intrigue or are simply in need of unobtrusive
music to help you focus on your own Pulitzer-prize winning article,
then, truth be told, this one might just be a fit.”
Truth Be Told
Review by Christopher Coleman
One of 2008’s better political thrillers is going to go unseen (and
unheard) by moviegoers. With Yari Film Group
Releasing's filing for Chapter 11 just prior to it's debut, NOTHING
BUT THE TRUTH, will likely see only the most limited of releases. Months
down the road though, the general public will be able to treat themselves
to another Rob Lurie special – filled with political intrigue and human
drama. The ensemble performance of Kate Beckinsale (who’s American accent
ever impresses), Vera Farmiga, Alan Alda, and Matt Dillon may also be the
best of the year and quietly undergirding the familiar storyline is familiar
musical collaborator, LARRY GROUPE.
Director and writer Rob Lurie looks into the recent past for his most
recent poli-thriller, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. Pulling from the
volumes of twists and intrigue from the Valerie Plame/ C.I.A. Affair from
2003, Lurie crafts a story that mirrors many of the major points from the
real-world scandal that rocked the Bush Administration and made "Scooter Libby"
a household name. Rob Lurie's tale also centers
around the breaking of a newspaper-story that reveals the identity of a C.I.A.
operative. As a result, the article's author, Rachel Armstrong (Beckinsale)
quickly comes
under fire by the government to reveal her source. As we well know
now, divulging the identity of such operatives is a Federal offense and
the the source of such leaks must be found and punished accordingly.
In the case of NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, Rachel Armstrong's refuses to comply
by making her source known. She consequently
loses everything dear to her, finds herself in jail and eventually even in
the highest courts in the land. NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH is small in scale but huge in
intrigue and the convincing performances of every key character help to
grab and keep attention all the way up to it’s unforeseen conclusion.
Political thrillers usually go in one of two directions these days. In
terms of their original scores they are either the dramatic-action-ethnic
sort or the contemporary minimalist type. Perhaps Rob Lurie and LARRY
GROUPE’S most famous collaboration to date has been, THE CONTENDER, in
which we were treated to one of Groupé’s more memorable, patriotic themes.
In the case of NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, the latter technique is employed.
Within the film itself, Larry Groupé’s score moves along stealthily until
the most dramatic moments of the film. Rather than grand, sweeping
symphonic movements, this score is principally composed
of guitar, piano, a small string ensemble, and various atmospheric
effects.
Receiving the original score promo, I was genuinely surprised as to how
much music was written for the film. When viewing the film, the music
certainly doesn’t call attention to itself and so my expectation for the
promo was for a few short cues at best. Through the early stages of the
film and respective tracks we quickly hear Groupé’s basic palette. By far
the most prominent instrument of the score is the guitar. Whether playing
simple motifs or as harmonic backdrops, the guitar is found in nearly
every track. At times the guitar is played light an innocently in tracks
such as “Main Title” (1) or “The Fateful Bus” (16) and at other times is
pensive such as in “Story Breaks" (4) , “ Chambers” (7). Additionally,
LARRY Groupé delivers several oft-used guitar riffs which appear in
various forms throughout the film. In “Meet the Press” (8) he introduces a
new guitar motif which is played quickly lively only to reprise elements
of it in "Erica VS C.I.A." (10) only at a much slower tempo and even more
subtly. As Groupé also does this with short piano motifs elsewhere
providing a cohesiveness that is likely to register more on the
subconscious level for audiences.
If the endless coverage of the Valerie Plame/Scooter Libby ordeal was not
personal enough for you, then Rob Lurie’s NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH deserves
your attention. It’s a well told story with some superior acting
performances that just might help to peer into some of the motivations and
prices paid by those involved in our real-world-leak-story. It's the
story and its telling that deliver the meat of the movie-experience here
and so the score is definitely in a clearly supporting role that might be
overlooked by some. This type of film doesn’t warrant much
different; however, some of the more intense moments such as defense
lawyer, Albert Burnside's (Alda), argument at the Supreme Court or Rachel's
goodbye with her son, each would not have been harmed by a bit stronger
musical presence. NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH is the sort of score that won't
fare too well if it is only experienced out of it's context. Those of you who see the film are certainly
more likely to find the subtleties appreciable. Unlike the sumptuously
moving score for THE CONTENDER, this score won't garner a lot of
attention; however, if it somehow receives an official release and you
live or fantasize about a life of serious political intrigue or are simply
in need of unobtrusive music to help you focus on your own Pulitzer-prize
winning article, then, truth be told, this one might just be a fit.
