Cliff Martinez Wicker Park (ost) (2004)

Minimalist composer, electronic whiz kid, and frequent Steven Soderbergh collaborator Cliff Martinez wraps an Eno-esque blanket of chilly sunlight and subdued dread around the Josh Hartnett thriller Wicker Park. Martinez's hypnotic work on Traffic and Solaris complemented Soderbergh's intimate narrative style, so it's no real surprise that he attacks the suspense genre with the same amount of elegant subtlety. Plot boilers like Wicker Park are at their most effective when the lights are low and the only sound is the mounting of a boot at the foot of the stairs, and Martinez's ability to lay back and let the blood pressure rise is apparent throughout, utilizing loops and whistles - as well as strings - like Thomas Newman scoring an episode of The X-Files…

Directed by Nicholas Jarecki and starring Richard Gere - in the best performance of his career - Arbitrage tells the story of a troubled hedge fund magnate desperate to complete the sale of his trading empire. Cliff Martinez - who did the music for Drive - composed the beautiful and electronica driven score. It features all the musical elements that have made Cliff Martinez one of the most interesting and sought after composer of our time. The soundtrack features also music by Bjork, Billie Holiday, Jobim/Getz and a great cover of "My Foolish Heart."