MOVIE MUSIC UK

Original Review by Jonathan Broxton

One of the greatest thrills I get as a film music critic is when I stumble upon a score for an almost completely unknown film, listen to it on a whim, and discover a gem. This happened to me this week when I listened to the music for this film, Medora: Empress of the Badlands, a period western directed by Daniel Bielinski, which had a very short theatrical run in limited cinemas back in April before moving to on-demand and streaming services. It is a tale that brings together Gilded Age New York wealth, European aristocracy, the Dakota cattle boom, Theodore Roosevelt’s Badlands period, frontier gun culture, and late-19th-century French politics, all in one remarkable story.

The film tells the incredible true story of a French aristocrat, the Marquis de Morès (played by Robert Strange), and his American wife Medora von Hoffman (played by Baylee Toney), who arrived in what was then the Dakota Territory in 1883, having been drawn to the area in search of a life of adventure far from the stifling social confines of Gilded Age New York. They built a home, a town, and eventually a meat-packing empire, but faced hostility not only from ranchers and other violent locals determined to drive them out, but also from a fierce rivalry with Roosevelt – a rivalry so strong that the Marquis and Roosevelt almost killed one another in a duel!

The score for Medora: Empress of the Badlands is by the 34-year-old Minnesota-based American composer Will Van de Crommert, who will likely be a completely unfamiliar name to anyone reading this. His IMDb profile indicates that he obtained a degree in music composition from St. John’s University in New York and spent some time in Los Angeles working with composer Jeff Rona before moving back to live and work in Minneapolis in the late 2010s. I have heard one score of his before – the 2025 survival drama Hazel’s Heart, which was also directed by Bielinski – but truthfully I have little to no memory of it, and as such nothing prepared me for how good Medora: Empress of the Badlands would be.

Medora: Empress of the Badlands is a big, sprawling, orchestral western adventure/drama score in the best traditions of the genre. I say orchestral; the score appears to be entirely rendered with high-quality samples as opposed to a live ensemble (likely due to understandable budget constraints) but, honestly, the quality is so good that it’s almost impossible to tell the difference, and the strength of the actual writing more than makes up for any audio deficiencies in that regard. Van de Crommert’s inspirations are clear: there’s a little bit of John Barry, a little bit of Elmer Bernstein, a little bit of Bruce Broughton, a little bit of Basil Poledouris, and a whole lot of John Debney, especially his score for Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga from 2024. It’s all very tastefully done, though, more loving homage than lazy pastiche, and anyone with a love of classic 1980s and 1990s orchestral western scores will find this very much to their taste.

The score opens with “A Fast-Moving Train,” which begins with gentle, hesitant textures before opening into a superb statement of the main theme, bold, adventurous, and optimistic. Prominent brass gives it sweep, while expressive woodwinds, fiddles, and guitars add color and subtle Western flavor. It is an immediately appealing piece of musical Americana and establishes this melody as the score’s central musical idea. “How About to the East?” offers a softer and more intimate contrast, with poignant strings carrying a thoughtful version of that theme. The melody’s adventurous quality gives way to reflection and vulnerability, showing early on how effectively it can adapt to different emotional circumstances. The brief “Six-Shooter” then provides a sharp burst of action, driven by clattering percussion, forceful brass, and chugging strings. It is muscular and energetic, with the orchestral sections pushing insistently against one another.

There is a quirkier character to “That Crazy Frenchman,” where rhythmic pizzicato strings support a light statement of the main theme on high flutes. The cue nicely captures the locals’ bemused curiosity at the arrival of this dapper European figure on the Dakota frontier. “Medora” then introduces an elegant, warmly attractive theme for the “Empress.” Graceful without being fragile, it speaks both to her beauty and personality while retaining an underlying resilience that gives the character musical depth. The central melody receives a sweeping reprise in “A Reunion to Remember,” where a notable piano presence adds intimacy to the larger orchestral gestures, and “A Shrewd Decision” offers another variation, this time softer and more tender, with flutes bringing out the melody’s thoughtful side.

A new theme appears in “John Goodall,” representing the stoic but kind-hearted cowboy toward whom Medora is drawn. Guitars augment the orchestra, giving the music a rugged, masculine quality, while an understated warmth reflects the compassion beneath his reserved exterior. “Never Enough” turns the main theme into an engaging action arrangement, bold, powerful, and genuinely fun. “Insatiable” is similarly propulsive, using excellent percussion patterns to drive urgent string writing and generate a relentless sense of forward motion. That momentum continues in “The Badlands,” where the orchestral textures seem to mimic the movement of a train racing across the landscape. A huge, wide-open statement of the central theme eventually emerges, resulting in one of the score’s strongest moments of classic Americana, full of optimism, scale, and adventure.

The tone darkens sharply with “To the Ground,” a vivid and vicious action cue filled with stabbing strings, aggressive horns, dissonance, and clattering metallic percussion. “Something Snapped” is more restrained, relying on gloomy, uneasy string textures to evoke psychological instability. “I Will Crush You” begins in similarly ominous territory before exploding into ferocious action. Slashing strings combine with anvils and metallic percussion to produce a hard-edged, confrontational sound, while the increasingly forceful rhythms generate a convincing feeling of rapidly escalating danger.

“Off the Books” favors eerie menace, steadily building tension toward a large dramatic crescendo. “I’m So Sorry” is more abrasive, combining dissonance, metallic scraping, and forceful rhythmic ideas into music that is harsh but compelling. The emotional darkness continues in “Shame on You,” dominated by somber strings that convey disappointment and hurt without becoming overly melodramatic. In “For You, Mister De Morès,” the main theme is transformed into a large minor-key statement, becoming ominous, portentous, and imposingly powerful.

“A Word from a Powerful Man” is one of the score’s most openly emotional passages, combining piano, strings, and a prominent harp with a tender version of the main theme. A sense of resignation and regret runs throughout, culminating in a moving passage for high, piercing strings. The score concludes with “Empress of the Badlands,” an epic full-orchestral statement of the main theme. In its warmth, sweep, and expansive Americana, it comes closest in tone to John Debney’s Horizon, with tapped percussion, fiddles, guitars, and broad brass writing combining to create a stirring and emotionally satisfying finale.

What makes Medora: Empress of the Badlands such an unexpected pleasure is the confidence of Will Van de Crommert’s writing. This is an unabashedly melodic, thematically rich orchestral score that embraces the traditions of the great western scores of the past while still possessing enough personality to stand on its own. The memorable central theme, colorful frontier orchestrations, strong secondary ideas, and unexpectedly ferocious action music make it consistently entertaining from beginning to end. Considering Van de Crommert’s relative obscurity, the quality on display here is even more impressive, and I sincerely hope Medora brings his work to the attention of a much wider audience. Anyone who misses the days when westerns were accompanied by big melodies, sweeping orchestras, and an unapologetic sense of adventure should seek this one out; it is one of the most delightful film music discoveries I have made this year, and comes warmly recommended.

Buy the Medora: Empress of the Badlands soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• A Fast-Moving Train (3:40)
• How About to the East? (3:11)
• Six-Shooter (0:45)
• That Crazy Frenchman (1:13)
• Medora (1:37)
• A Reunion to Remember (1:49)
• A House and Home (1:50)
• A Shrewd Decision (1:56)
• John Goodall (0:54)
• Never Enough (1:49)
• Insatiable (2:35)
• The Badlands (1:38)
• To the Ground (2:19)
• A Bit Old-Fashioned (1:07)
• Something Snapped (0:58)
• I Will Crush You (2:41)
• Off the Books (1:28)
• I’m so Sorry (2:28)
• Shame on You (1:24)
• For You, Mister De Morès (2:11)
• The Crimes of Which I’m Guilty (1:22)
• A Word from a Powerful Man (3:58)
• Empress of the Badlands (5:42)

MotionMuse Music (2026)

Running Time: 48 minutes 35 seconds

Music composed by Will Van de Crommert. Conducted by XXX. Orchestrations by XXX. Recorded and mixed by Will Van de Crommert. Edited by XXX. Album produced by Will Van de Crommert.