VA - The Cooler - Soundtrack (2003)

Mark Isham's elegant score for first time director Wayne Kramer's The Cooler is an atmospheric tour de force that revels in the sensual, sadistic, energy of Las Vegas. His understanding of Sin City nostalgia is evident on the title track, a sweeping collage that incorporates the brass-kitsch of Bacharach, moody string sections reminiscent of early Scott Walker, and bursts of bawdy excess that radiate with showgirl finesse. The beautiful "Shangri-La" introduces a spooky, wistful trumpet motif that sneaks its way into other pieces like a marked card, and captures the loneliness and uncertainty inherent in William H. Macy's sympathetic performance as an unlucky better whom the casino inserts into tables of high-rollers to cool their good fortune. Cast members contribute their own versions of standards with mixed results. Paul Sorvino's version of "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" works in the context of the film, but as a singular listening experience falls awfully short of spectacular, and *NSYNC crooner Joey Fatone warbles tunelessly through "Can I Steal a Little Love" like a karaoke virgin. Legit lounge lizards like Diana Krall and Tierney Sutton gracefully work through songs they've been singing since childhood, while Vegas staples Bobby Caldwell, who does Sinatra better than Sinatra on "Luck Be a Lady," and Rebecca Kyler Downs come off like employees of Pulp Fiction's netherworld eatery Jack Rabbit Slims. These slices of gambler's paradise work more like aberrations within Isham's score -- they excite, inform, and occasionally interrupt -- but they're merely the bread that surrounds the delicious filling that makes The Cooler one of the best soundtracks of 2003.~The Cooler Review by James Christopher Monger