elegiac

“It is elegiac, but it isn’t weepy,” John said of the film when he first scored it, never imagining the sudden tragic fate of his young friend.

An elegiac hymn to the dead end of hometown life, the song captures Currie’s ability to wrap melancholy lyrics in a catchy melody.

The tone of nonfiction conjectures about the future of Los Angeles generally fall into two categories, elegiac or apocalyptic — and sometimes both: “utopia or dystopia,” in the words of Davis.

The pacing can be pokey — elegiac if you prefer — between the big action scenes, which can be disturbingly violent.

But if you view it as the last stage of Ripley’s career trajectory on the payroll of a company that devalues human life, the movie translates as elegiac.