One of the greatest aids to my storytelling is music. If I have the right song, an entire scene turns crystal-clear in my head. I mentioned this in summer when I shared Nina Simone with you, her song “Ain’t Got No” demystifying the twin protagonists at the heart of my WIP Line the Stars. With a better understanding of the heroes–their grief, their hopes, their gifts–I turned my thoughts upon the villains.

And fell wretchedly short.

I had a sense of some villainy: an extremist group of rebels will do anything to keep the Empress from returning to her throne, and when the twins unwittingly become the Empress’ new guardians, they find themselves in the crossfire. 

But this felt…inadequate. This is a cosmic story, after all. Goodness is withering. Life is going cold and silent. That doesn’t sound like the work of loud, angry rebels. Not alone.

That sounds more like a controlling authority.

Yet I struggled to see them, feel their purpose, especially since I knew the twins had the Empress. So who took the place of the Empress? Someone’s long, silent fingers clasped onto her power and stole it away.

And for a while, they hid themselves so well I couldn’t see them.

~*~

Action junkie that I am, I’m always on the lookout for new installments from storytellers like Guy Ritchie. I first learned about him from his Sherlock Holmes films (Why can’t we have another one?! One more?? PLEASE???), and have been happily hunting down his films in the library ever since. A couple of weeks ago I brought home Wrath of Man, a 2021 film featuring action icon Jason Statham.

Statham is a powerhouse in martial arts, a man of exceptional driving skill and just all-around perfect protagonist for intense action films. But in Wrath of Man, he is something quite different.

He’s not spin-kicking his way out of a situation or tearing through the streets in a hot car. Oh no. Statham is a “Dark Fucking Spirit,” as another character puts it. Statham is watchful. Silent. Determined. Deeply, deeply determined. 

For someone has killed his son, and he will not rest until those responsible–hell, the whole damn city–suffers his vengeance.

Chris Benstead is the composer here, another new name for me and one whose filmography I hope to further explore. He collaborates with Guy Ritchie often, even for Ritchie’s Disney remake of Disney’s Aladdin, To be clear, this is not an epic score of sweeping themes and uplifting melodies. Quite the opposite.

Which, when you’re looking for the music of villainy, is the jackpot.

This track “Coffee Frother” is a particular favorite.

When I listened to the score of this movie, I could feel Statham’s unrelenting ruthlessness. The rhythm’s slow beat, beat, beat like Death’s approaching footsteps on a warehouse floor. This is especially evident in the climax’s track, “Liver Lungs Spleen Heart.”

The cellos and basses are the real stars in this score. Not only do they complement the percussion, but they are the undercurrent that flows through Statham’s character. Like a clock, the bassist sets the time with every grating stroke of the bow. More strings come in, bit by bit. The cello repeats its sorrowful melody, louder. Louder. The final reckoning comes in the Anti-Hero Trinity of Watchful Security Guard, Vicious Crimelord, and Mourning Father.

The Dark Fucking Spirit made manifest.

Statham has a powerful presence, yes, but when you add Benstead’s score to his stare, your soul wants to run and hide. And that is exactly how I want my characters to feel when this authoritative enemy shows itself. 

Let’s go hunt some dark fucking spirits.

What will next week bring? I saw a number of you asking about Blondie, so I’ll bug her into creating a little art gallery for you next week. Plus we need to explore some witches, perhaps some aliens…monsters are the thing this spooky tide…

Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!