Marlowe

Directed by Neil Jordan and starring Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List; Star Wars: Episode I), Marlowe is a 1930s-style noir thriller set in Los Angeles. The soundtrack is original, composed by various artists (not listed on the credit card), and the trailer leverages this to great effect. After the obligatory micro-teaser we hear a track by Jon Batiste, “The Light Shines Brightest in the Dark”, with an overall sound that clearly hearkens to earlier jazz, effectively setting the tone of the film as a period piece.

Upon establishing this, the music falls away at 0:40 around the director’s title card, opting instead for more brooding, ominous and epic tones with a descending minor arpeggio in the piano that relies on a lot of reverb. Meanwhile, a two-note pizzicato motif in the harmonic minor sounds in the upper strings, providing a dramatic counterpoint that further heightens the tension and intrigue as we see shots such as the close-up loading of a gun. The motif is developed into a fuller ostinato as each scene unfolds; a pause at 1:12 only leads to the track roaring back at 1:16, this time adding brass in its steadily building arrangement.

By 1:22 we hear epic percussion in a typical triplet pattern, but curiously it hangs back fairly deep in the mix. It’s present but doesn’t seem to want to lend too much attention to itself, instead focusing on the insistent, steady motifs in the brass that have been building all the while. Notice at 1:48 the synching of title cards for the actors with the score; moments later, a diegetic flourish of gunshots and a raging fire close out the arrangement 1:58.

Interestingly, the music reverts entirely back to jazz at 2:06 after the inevitable turn phrase pause at 2:00—with the font of the main title card, it’s an unsubtle reminder that we are dealing with a stylistically overwrought period drama. These jazzy bookends effectively serve to distinguish Marlowe from many other action thrillers. Meanwhile, the production music in the middle serves its purpose to ramp up drama and intrigue in the way that practically every action-oriented trailer is wont to do. However, rather than show any specific concern for the disparity between these genres, the trailer for Marlowe effectively leans into them—achieving greater impact as a result.

Marlowe is set to arrive in theatres February 15th, 2023.

— Curtis Perry