The soundtrack to fledgling director Stephen Gaghan's psychological thriller Abandon begins with plaintive picked guitar, electronic drums, and the reverb-drenched voice of star Katie Holmes. Holmes -- who does a dead-on
Julee Cruise -- fills the space between composer
Clint Mansell's
Angelo Badalamenti-inspired score with breathy "la,la,la's" like the sultry vamp she isn't, making tracks like "You Have No Choice" all the more eerie. The opening and end titles are like a meat sandwich with the bread in the center. Combined, the two could have worked as a moody, late-'80's single, but an uninspired middle section that can't seem to escape its two-note, minor key brooding polarizes them. While solo piano cues like "Comfort Me" and "To the Country House" display a quiet power, the rest is simply an exercise in X-files monotony. ~ James Christopher Monger