The Quick and the Dead

Despite a résumé that includes Back to the Future III, Alan Silvestri may seem an eccentric choice to score this spaghetti Western homage, but the soundtrack proves a work of surprising mood and texture, forgoing the bombast of the composer's typical Hollywood efforts in favor of dark soundscapes that pay homage to the pioneering work of Ennio Morricone. To his credit, Silvestri delivers an old-fashioned Western score held together by whiskey, dirt, and blood, evoking the mythology of the Old West. His innate gifts for fantasy and adventure serve him well here, with bold melodies.