Essentially a tamer, less palpably erotic recycling of Jerry Goldsmith's influential Basic Instinct, Malice assembles the same core elements -- ominous piano, stiletto sharp bursts of strings and bubbling electronics chief among them -- but fails to generate the same shock value, effectively rendering the score pointless. One suspects the film's producers simply installed the Basic Instinct score as a temp track, liked it, and asked Goldsmith for more of the same, but its impact is blunted this time around -- not only does the composer resurrect arrangements and effects, but his new melodies are tired and often tedious. When a suspense score is too familiar to create much suspense, it can only be deemed a failure, and Malice is as predictable as the sun's ascent each morning. ~ Jason Ankeny