MOVIE MUSIC UK

Original Review by Jonathan Broxton

The Sheep Detectives is a comedy murder mystery with a twist, directed by Kyle Balda and adapted by Craig Mazin from the 2005 German-language novel Glennkill: Ein Schafskrimi, published in English as Three Bags Full, by Leonie Swann. Set in a small rural English village, the story follows a flock of sheep attempting to solve the murder of their shepherd. The film features a live-action ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman as shepherd George Hardy, Nicholas Braun as local police constable Tim, and Emma Thompson as George’s lawyer Lydia, alongside a stellar voice cast including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, and Brett Goldstein as the various ovine sleuths. This is Balda’s first live-action film – his previous work comprises various instalments in the animated Despicable Me and Minions franchises – and it also represents a significant tonal shift for Mazin, who recently received multiple Emmy nominations for his much more serious work on the television series Chernobyl and The Last of Us.

The score for The Sheep Detectives is by French-Canadian composer Christophe Beck, who apparently joined the production as a late replacement for original composer Heitor Pereira, a frequent collaborator of director Balda on the Minions films. Online information also suggests that David Newman may have been attached to the project at some point too – what a joy that would have been! – although the extent of his involvement, if any, remains unclear. Whatever the case, Christophe Beck is a safe pair of hands when it comes to films like this. He has been exceptionally busy over the last few years with numerous superhero film and television scores, including WandaVision and Hawkeye in 2021, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Shazam! Fury of the Gods in 2023, and Agatha All Along in 2024. He took an extended break from scoring last year, but The Sheep Detectives sees him returning in fine form.

The whole thing is a fun, lively, breezy orchestral comedy score, punctuated by enjoyable moments of escapist action and several passages of genuine emotional poignancy. Beck has always excelled at writing music with this kind of tone, and The Sheep Detectives finds him firmly in his comfort zone. The score was recorded in London and is, for the most part, performed by a traditional orchestral ensemble. However, in interviews Beck revealed that he tried to give the music an “earthier, folk music-like feel” through the repeated use of a distinctive instrumental texture comprising solo viola and prepared piano, with the latter played using a hand resting over the strings to create a percussive “thunk” sound. You can clearly hear this in cues like “Born in the Winter”.

In terms of recurring themes, Beck wrote three major motifs and several minor ones, including a theme for George the shepherd, a theme for Lily, the lead sheep detective, and an overarching family theme representing the flock as a whole. “One Secret to Happiness” opens with an unexpectedly contemporary caper sound, almost like a variation on Beck’s Ant-Man style, built around a plucked rhythmic core and a jaunty, playful attitude, before concluding with a more emotional passage that foreshadows much of the score’s later material. “A Knock at the Door” introduces a darker, more intense sound that lends the unexpected death of Hugh Jackman’s shepherd a sense of urgency and immediacy. The subsequent “You’ll Be OK” reprises George’s theme with affecting warmth, beautifully underscoring both the sheep’s grief and the love they felt for him. There is a delightful sweep of classic Hollywood romance in “And You Are,” followed by an increased sense of drama and intrigue in “We Have Our Motive,” which experiments with staccato textures in several interesting ways.

“Sheeplechase” is the score’s first major action cue, a whirligig of fast-paced textures, dancing strings, and lively flutes that at times recalls the “Fratelli Chase” from Dave Grusin’s score for The Goonies. The intricate layering of accordion against the orchestra is an inspired touch. The lovely theme for George returns in “What’s Your Name” before featuring prominently in the gorgeously delicate and touching “What a Carnival Is”. The score then arrives at what is arguably its standout cue: “The Denbrook Poisoner”. Here Beck somehow channels Elmer Bernstein and The Great Escape, offsetting a rousing militaristic brass rendition of the Family/Flock theme against pulsating string figures and rat-a-tat snare drum rhythms. It is simply superb.

There is an unexpected sense of darkness in the opening moments of “Run,” where isolated glockenspiel figures dance against descending fragmented string textures and flashes of dissonance. However, the second half of the cue transforms into the score’s second major action set-piece: a thrusting, powerful explosion of string-led energy coupled with dark brass fanfares and tumultuous percussion patterns, with especially prominent muted cymbals. The result is hugely entertaining.

“Remembering Hurts” beautifully revisits the poignant motif connected to George the shepherd during a moving moment of sheep-related epiphany. (In the story, sheep possess the ability to literally will themselves into forgetting painful memories, until Lily convinces them not to.) The extended “Very Good Detectives” deftly weaves together all three principal themes alongside the score’s recurring mystery-caper textures, building toward a thrilling finale as the intrepid sheep detectives uncover the identity of George’s killer and vow to bring them to justice. “A Legitimate Cause for Baaashing” is a spirited jaunt that briefly revisits the militaristic variation of the Family/Flock theme, while the concluding “Every Sheep Should Have a Name” is warm, wholesome, and possessed of a classic old-fashioned orchestral sweep that brings the score to a deeply satisfying close.

Ultimately, The Sheep Detectives is another reminder of just how effortlessly Christophe Beck can balance comedy, warmth, suspense, and emotional sincerity within a single musical framework. The score is consistently engaging, thematically rich, and orchestrally vibrant, elevating the film’s quirky premise with genuine heart and craftsmanship. Whether delivering energetic caper antics, touching reflections on grief and family, or full-bodied bursts of adventure, Beck never loses sight of the story’s humanity – or, perhaps more appropriately, its sheepity.

Buy The Sheep Detectives soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• One Secret to Happiness (4:06)
• Born in the Winter (1:25)
• A Knock at the Door (1:48)
• You’ll Be OK (1:12)
• He’s Not Playing a Game (1:15)
• And You Are? (0:45)
• We Have Our Motive (3:59)
• Sheeplechase (1:08)
• What’s Your Name? (2:03)
• What a Carnival Is (1:45)
• The Denbrook Poisoner (3:08)
• That’s My Hat! (1:10)
• Run! (6:58)
• Remembering Hurts (3:32)
• Very Good Detectives (7:12)
• A Legitimate Cause for Baaashing (1:16)
• Every Sheep Should Have a Name (4:45)

Lakeshore Records (2026)

Running Time: 47 minutes 29 seconds

Music composed by Christophe Beck. Conducted by Tim Davies. Orchestrations by Tim Davies, Lorenzo Carrano, Pano Fountas, Ryan Humphrey and Jeremy Levy. Recorded and mixed by Casey Stone. Edited by Joseph S. DeBeasi and Mark Willsher. Album produced by Christophe Beck.