The Counselor (2013) User Reviews

Drowns under the weight of cryptic dialogue and abstract storytelling.

[BrentHankins · 4/10 · 24 October 2013]

With three of his novels being adapted into critically acclaimed films, Cormac McCarthy has opted to try his hand at screen writing, and the fruits of his labor can be seen in The Counselor. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film stars Michael Fassbender as a high-priced lawyer who decides to dabble in something a bit less than legal in order to make some extra cash.

Against the advice of associates Reiner (Javier Bardem) and Westray (Brad Pitt), The Counselor (whose name is never mentioned) has somehow gotten himself involved in the drug trafficking business, although the film remains ambiguous about the specifics. Motivated by the love of a beautiful woman (Penelope Cruz) and the desire to maintain the lifestyle he's enjoyed for so long, he never takes into account the sort of consequences he may be subjected to, should things not go according to plan.

As the trailers for the film make abundantly clear, things do not, in fact, go according to plan - at least, that's what we're led to believe, since the details of The Counselor's involvement in said plan are never actually revealed. Despite being warned about this scenario from the very beginning, by nearly every other character in the film, The Counselor remains inexplicably shocked and stunned when things begin to unravel.

Ridley Scott's latest directorial effort is peppered with lengthy scenes that find The Counselor engaged in conversations with other characters as they try to impart kernels of wisdom, truth and philosophy. Unfortunately, first-time screenwriter McCarthy fails to realize that he's not writing a novel here. Despite the brilliance of his literary works, he doesn't take into account the fact that living, breathing people rarely speak in monologues, and there's scarcely an ounce of naturally delivered dialogue in any of these exchanges.

Indeed, if you watch closely you can actually see the actors struggling to wrap their heads (and mouths) around these complex conversations that are surely meant to sound intelligent, but come across as anything but. It's hard to find fault with the talented cast, but when working with such messy material, it's difficult to be at the top of your game.

Despite the script's shortcomings, The Counselor provides enough intrigue to keep things moving along for about 90 minutes or so. The problem, of course, is that the film grinds to a complete and utter halt with another half hour still left in the tank, and the final 30 minutes is some of the most excruciatingly boring cinema I've seen this year. It's a frustrating and befuddling experience, and I left the theater wondering exactly what the hell had happened, both in front of the camera and behind it.

-- Brent Hankins, www.nerdrep.com

Who Should Be The One Counseling?

[FilmMuscle · 5/10 · 26 October 2013]

Normally, I fully appreciate bleak films with utterly despicable characters that leave you thinking rather than leaving the theater with a smile on your face, joyous to the fact that the hero saved the day yet again. Sorry, that's not my kind of story as overdone as it is. I prefer brutal realism where humanity is depicted in a much less phony manner. That's exactly what The Counselor promises as its characters take fairly regrettable paths- flawed people that make mistakes in a criminal environment. Some are more oblivious to it (or outright merciless), and some are much more humane in their methods. At first glance, it seems as if it's impossible for The Counselor to be proved a disappointment from the looks of its amazing cast (the likes of Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt, and Penelope Cruz), exceptional director with a credible resume, and a totally prestigious author signed on for his first screenplay. In addition, it appears to be a crime thriller, which definitely commences my adrenaline rush because it's personally my favorite genre.

Unfortunately, this film is a perfect example of "don't judge a book by its cover" (whether positively or negatively; people just love positivism so they usually associate the idiom with negativism). To simply put it, the story is a complete mess right from the start. We have our main character who goes by "Counselor" (played by one of my favorites, Michael Fassbender) confusingly dropped into this situation. How did he end up in this predicament? Why did he choose to pursue such a perilous and illicit path? Basically, the movie never explains anything. You're left in wonderment, attempting to figure out who is on whose side. Who wants to kill them exactly? Characters end up in random places, and the story never even bothers to explain how the two characters even know each other. The script just conveniently places two movie stars in one scene without an effectively developed context to service it. What follows are countless scenes where characters engage in conversation, vaguely discussing the circumstances.

The dialogue also feels vastly strange because the characters don't talk like actual people do in reality. Their speech sounds quite literary as they spout metaphor after metaphor, coupled with complex vocabulary. With that being said, I had no issue with it at first. In that, I mean I held no issue with the style of speech. What I did have an issue with was the way the characters spoke in a way that fully befuddled the viewers. It's like only the characters are in on it the entire way without the audience's understanding. In essence, it makes for an inconvenient and confusing experience.

Speaking of the cast, Javier Bardem was really the only one that stood out to me. Frankly, Cameron Diaz had me bewildered. She's supposed to be from Barbados with an accent- See, I wasn't even sure whether she was sporting an accent or not. At times, it felt like she had an accent going on, and then in other moments, she was speaking fluent and clear English; so I have no idea what was going on there. Even then, the film could've easily hidden all these flaws by presenting us with a thrilling and suspenseful plot, but it actually turned out to be incredibly uneventful. The scope didn't feel as exciting as it was supposed to be, and it definitely wasted an incredible amount of potential. So yes, I'm absolutely saddened; this was one of my most anticipated films of this year, if not my most anticipated, and it ended up falling embarrassingly flat.

There were a few disturbingly violent scenes that boosted the film's tone, for lack of a better term, literally, and reminded us of the excellence of No Country for Old Men. You're also met with an outrageous sex scene that's equally disturbing and sexy for some, and those scenes might be the only snippets of The Counselor remembered down the road. The ending was also not very reassuring, cutting to the credits unexpectedly shortly after another monotonous and ambiguous conversation. The only decent element of this movie was its soundtrack, but then again, its quality could've just been determined in comparison to the oddity and nuisance that the rest of the film consisted of. In sum, the best way to describe The Counselor is "brutally unsatisfying." I felt no sense of satisfaction by the time it drew to a close, and everything simply felt so meaningless and forgettable. There's no question that it left a bad taste in my mouth, and I sincerely hope that Ridley Scott ups his game sometime soon.

The Counselor is so in love with itself that it gives no one else a reason to love it, let alone care.

[lnvicta · 5/10 · 6 March 2016]

The Counselor is one of the most bizarre movies I've ever seen. Ever since it came out I was intrigued how it got very mixed reviews when it had such an amazing cast and crew. But now I know. I'll start with the positives because there actually is plenty to like in this movie. The acting first and foremost is phenomenal, particularly Fassbender and Bardem. It's the only reason you care about anything that's happening. The directing is slick and stylish, and there are a few scenes that are actually brilliant to see unfold. Some lines of dialogue are powerful. Cameron Diaz was good. I'm already running out of positive things to say so let's get right into it.

This movie is a hot mess. There are a hundred characters in this damn thing, it's over 2 hours long when it shouldn't have been, every scene could've been cut in half and the movie would've been all the better for it. It's hard to keep up with all the crap going on because it's so scatterbrained in its storytelling. And that's weird to say because Bardem's character tells some really captivating and hilarious stories. But the movie itself is so wordy and self-indulgent that even if you want to keep up with everything that's happening, there's no good reason to. It's an exercise in tedium after a while. It's like the writer said, "Let's see how many words I can squeeze into this scene before the audience has no idea what the f*ck it's about," and he did that for every damn scene. And again, there are glimmers of brilliance, hell the actual story is really interesting, but goddamn that just makes it all the more frustrating.

The plot can be boiled down to a lawyer getting himself in a bad situation with drug guys and how he tries to get out of it. It sounds like a focused plot, but the movie complicates it beyond comprehension. One minute I'm totally entranced by what's happening on screen, anxiously awaiting what's going to happen next, and then the movie will jump to a scene with random characters we've never seen before talking about nonsense, and they just keep talking and talking until I forget what I was entranced with in the first place. Seriously, if every scene in the movie was cut in half, it could be an excellent crime thriller. There are some truly brutal moments in the movie, and some thought-provoking ones, but they get stretched out and morphed to the point of bewilderment. Some of the lines in this movie are cringe-worthy. Like, did they really have to repeat what the other person said in five different ways? No? That's what I thought. And that's why this movie pisses me off.

The Counselor will definitely impress some people. If you can handle an absolute clusterf*ck of a movie with a few amazing scenes and superb acting then you'll probably enjoy it. But even that makes it sound better than it is, because the great scenes are so few and far between you're left thinking, "Why on earth did they go in this direction? They had something great here!" It's a baffling movie, really, and the more I think about it the more it upsets me because of how great it could've been. Its potential was so clear, it's like they tried to make it as convoluted and stupid as possible.

Worst of all, the movie takes itself dead seriously. It thinks it's so great, and again for the millionth time, IT COULD'VE BEEN. But no, The Counselor refuses to take other people into consideration. It's so in love with itself it gives no one else a reason to love it, let alone care. Watch at your own risk.

The Counselor proves that talented people can produce a horrendous mess

[jenn-haight1602 · 2/10 · 24 October 2013]

When the names Ridley Scott and Cormac McCarthy are connected to a project, one can't help but visualize the noir visual poetry of Scott's Blade Runner and think of the harsh, grim storytelling excellence of Cormac McCarthy. Unfortunately their project, The Counselor, lacks all of the wonder that has gained them respect in the film industry.

The story, the first original screenplay written by Cormac McCarthy, is meant to be didactic but instead comes off as a pedantic mess. It clomps where it should glide and leaves film-goers expecting more than they receive. The story is about a lawyer, The Counselor, who somehow (that is never explained), is brought into a drug deal of some kind (which is never clarified), to an extent that we aren't privy to. There is also a secondary tier of characters who The Counselor knows, many of whom are also involved in the drug deal yet we never learn why or how they're involved; not what I was expecting from a man heralded as the most important writer in the country. Add to the soggy script McCormack's usual lack of understanding about women, his fascination with unnatural sex and predictable, but not particularly interesting violence. There are dozens of nonsense plot turns and character inconsistencies. Long amounts of time are spent in developing characters that never appear to have any significance in the film. Wise men abound; there's a wise diamond expert, drug cartel lord, and a couple of un-identified wise men. Meanwhile, the only three women in the film are a whore, a personified animal and nun. There are a few other women to be seen; either dancing in bikinis or pouring coffee.

Whether it comes from the script or was added as an artistic touch from Scott, there is an infusion of grade school obvious symbolism throughout the film which is so blatantly obvious it borders on being offensive. The good guys live in completely white houses and the bad guys all drive black vehicles, that sort of thing. One of the many weaknesses of the film is the cartoon-like quality of the characters. It's difficult to determine if they were written that way or if it was an artistic decision on the part of Scott. Either way the experiment was a failure. While the cartoon effect can be used deftly in film, in this picture it creates one more bruise on an all around achingly painful film.

Occasionally a disastrous script can still work on some level if there are exceptional performances. Unfortunately the two leads, Michael Fassbender and Cameron Diaz, are the weakest links in the picture. Michael Fassbender, as the good guy who made a bad choice, is meant to keep us engaged, even if we don't understand his motives or his reactions. We should feel something with or for the character. His performance is so flat that even at his most sniveling, snot-flying crying moments the audience sits in a numbed daze.

Cameron Diaz is painfully inept for the lead role in which she is cast. She's supposed to be terrifying and mysterious, but instead comes off as not understanding the meaning of most of her lines as she recites them in a staccato tone reminiscent of a poor high school performance. It is such a clunky performance that she often emphasizes the wrong word in lines of dialog. As if her performance isn't ludicrous enough she is also saddled with a ridiculous appearance. Her character is literally designed to look like a cheetah. Her hair is sculpted to resemble the cat and she is tattooed from behind the ear all the way down her back with a cheetah pattern. The film opens and ends with a hit-you-over-the-head-with-a-frying-pan obvious symbol that she is the hunter. We're told repeatedly that she has "done everything," and she says that she has "done very bad things" yet the only example we are given is a sophomoric, insulting, male erotic fantasy in the form of masturbation. The final scene of the film, which should be edifying and revelatory, instead is painfully predictable and full of the hunter symbolism which represses any message that could survive Diaz's droll delivery.

image Javier Bardem, with his crazy troll hair and unthinkable clothing combinations, is ironically the most human of all the characters and perhaps it's due to his exceptional acting prowess. He is forlorn and powerful; confused and focused. The complexities that he brings to the part offer a welcome respite from the bland work by the leads.

Brad Pitt shows up in all of the advertising but his part is minute. He plays an urban cowboy of sorts; he dresses in outdated polyester cowboy garb and is smart enough to have a well planned exit strategy if things go wrong. We are supposed to believe that this same man would fall for an obvious female infiltrator and that he would order Heineken at a bar in El Paso, TX. His character would never order an import. Conflicting minor details like this compound the myriad of larger problems with the film.

Penelope Cruz's beauty and talent is completely wasted. Her character is so one dimensional you feel as if you can see through her. She is stereo-typically the "wife" in the "wife" or "slut" scenario to the point that she wears a cross necklace, talks about going to church, is hesitant to talk dirty to her lover and doesn't want to know the value of her diamond.

There have been no early reviews for the film. Many wanted to believe that it was to refrain from plot spoilers and maintain an air of mystery. The truth is much less interesting. It's because this is a horrible film in every possible way.

I'm not a contrarian, but

[ghost_dog86 · 7/10 · 26 October 2013]

With a star studded cast, featuring the likes of Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt, and directed by Ridley Scott, with a script from one of the greatest American novelists alive, Cormac McCarthy, obviously I went to see "The Counselor" on face value alone. Admittedly, aside from the fact that this is not a very cinematic endeavor, the first half of this film is pretty bad. That is to say the first act and a half is far too cryptic for its own good, with dialogue that is in love with its own double entendres and lines which sound as though they would be more at home in a novel than spoken aloud by human beings. But, if you're patient enough to stay with this film until the second hour, you will be rewarded by witnessing how McCarthy and Scott weave this almost action-less tale together, quietly guiding audiences into a brilliantly disturbing and hypnotic finale.

The performances (the standout coming from Bardem) are all fine here. These are all great actors, so what else would you expect? Same goes for the direction. The wildcard with "The Counselor" was always McCarthy's transition from novel to feature film scriptwriting; a transition that was a first act failure on the grounds of dialogue alone. In that same breath, his high caliber story of a lawyer who gets involved in drug trafficking and his masterful construction redeems him almost entirely by the time it's all said and done.

As I alluded to before, there is not much action here, which may give the illusion to some that sequences are occurring but nothing is progressing, which may also promote watch checking. But within this conversation based film, as much as I would have preferred the dialogue to have been handled with more subtlety, the subtext is always interesting, gaining its momentum from the converging stories within the second half.

Final Thought: "The Counselor" is the film equivalent of an artichoke. You either like it or you don't. And both are understandable. Maybe one day, once all of the critical heat dies down, history will look more kindly on this movie. But for now, there will be flaws within it that a majority of mainstream audiences just won't be able to forgive.

Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland

Felt like a two hour ad for Calvin Klein, but a really good one

[dstroink · 5/10 · 29 October 2013]

The Counselor is the work of a fantastic director, an incredible writer and an A+ cast but sadly it just wasn't put together well enough to be an effective movie. It was written by the talented Cormac McCarthy, this is his screenplay debut and his lack of experience shows, he seems to forget that he is writing the script of a modern film and not a novel or a play. Many of the scenes are lengthy, one on one exchanges between two characters who speak in long extended monologues. The dialog itself is sharp, cryptic and original, I loved hearing the characters' philosophical banter about death, religion, sex, acceptance etc. The simple yet tragic story however is muffled by the heavy abstract dialog, which seems to be trying to be as far from expository as possible. It's hard to make out the details of what's actually happening and you constantly find yourself asking, what's the point? I did however enjoy the writing, it was dark and beautiful and I'd love to see McCarthy return to this style in another, perhaps more illustrative script.

The characters, who are portrayed by some of the most talented actors out there, are all ambiguous, intellectual, bad-asses. It's fun to see slick, eccentric characters like these, but there is no variety, everyone is simply a beautiful and sadistic human being and it becomes very boring to watch. Nobody is lovable, or realistic, or funny or imperfect. It is also impossible to become invested in the characters or the story line. Just a bunch of cool people wearing expensive sunglasses saying and doing cool things, which is enjoyable, but not for a solid two hours.

The cinematography is exceptional, each shot has the aesthetic quality of a well thought out photograph. There was clearly a lot of thought put into camera angles, and where characters and objects were placed within the frame. I was never bored admiring the exotic, luxurious locations captured with such skill.

All in all, the ambitious dialog, the beautiful cinematography and the very capable cast, coupled with a very intense soundtrack made for a film that successfully created a very dark, poignant tone. Unfortunately the story was unclear, despite being very basic. The characters did not contrast each other at all, and it was hard to give a damn about any of it. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in film since I did have a good time and I think there's a lot to take away from it. As a film maker, it's interesting to see a group of people who are all masters of their craft, sincerely try there best, and make something that is so completely ineffective.

I can't believe a crime thriller can be so boring

[Gordon-11 · 23 May 2014]

This film tells the story of a young lawyer who turns to drug trade to make a quick buck to finance the ring for his fiancée.

"The Counselor" has a stellar cast, and I have looked forward to watching it. However, I was already disappointed by the initial scene. It involves Penelope Cruz in bed with a man for a whole six minutes, and yet the director manages to make a sec scene that's boring. The film goes rapidly downhill, as the characters incessantly talk, continuously talk and forever talk. Watching this film is like listening to a lecture. Even though the film contains gruesome murders and gun battles, it's boring beyond belief and I can't wait for it to end. I can't believe that a crime thriller can be so boring.

Makes the Bleakest Film Noir Look Like 'The Sound of Music"

[shorn-40895 · 7/10 · 12 August 2022]

You want dark? I mean REALLY dark? Let me put it this way: The existentialists on the train to nowhere got off to watch "No Country for Old Men." The nihilists stayed on to see "The Counselor." I strongly suggest that you not watch this film before a happy occasion like a wedding or a family gathering for Thanksgiving. You'd find it difficult to join the frivolity.

Stop it Cormac! Ridley and Cameron how could you?

[phd_travel · 1/10 · 3 December 2013]

I always thought Cormac McCarthy's stories a bit overrated. Gross gruesome and ugly. But this movie really takes the cake. It's bad beyond belief. What is amazing is how they managed to get top notch actors and director to do this movie. Unlike No Country this tale tries to contrast some glamorous with the ugly but the whole story is so pointless is just isn't worth the effort.

The sexual scenes are so bad they aren't even funny from the opening scene with Penelope and it's banal dialog to Cameron and the car. She is above such a degrading scene. She is A list. Brad Pitt all uglied up is above this too. As for Michael Fassbender I know actors more often than not have to take roles they can get but this one wasn't worth it. At least he didn't have to hump a car. The violent deaths and decapitation by that stupid device are just violence for the sake of violence and serve no purpose.

The screenplay is so badly written that the plot isn't clear in a totally unnecessary way. There are so many stupid things like why didn't Penelope's character get out of town straight away? What about Javier's character he knew he was in trouble too. The speeches by the characters are okay but hardly compensate for the story. The only good point is the ending is realistic didn't have any cute rescues but it was just so depressing.

Don't waste your time.

Disappointed

[gcollins3031 · 6/10 · 26 October 2013]

I am a big fan of Cormac McCarthy's novels. I have read them all, from the bizarre and somewhat slow Suttree to All the Pretty Horses to The Road. I am also a big fan of the movie versions of No Country for Old Men and The Road. I consider Brad Pitt to be one of our finest American actors and Javier Bardem has done some excellent work as well.

With all this in mind, I was anticipating The Counselor to be superb.

It wasn't.

Yes, there were some amazing plot twists, gritty violence and good acting. Yes there was wisdom in some of the lines, especially by Ruben Blades and the diamond merchant in Amsterdam. But all in all, it is underwhelming. I could not buy into the motivations of the main character - the Counselor - and wanted to know why he needed to get involved in this deal in the first place. I assumed it was his lavish lifestyle (sports cars, tailored suits, 4-karat engagement rings, etc), but why not tell us? I ended up not really caring what happened to him. Brad Pitt did his best in a limited role, but there wasn't much there to sink his teeth into. Bardem was actually funny in a wasted and weirded-out way, but this was certainly no Anton Chigurh for him.

Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz...meh. Michael Fassbender... meh.

I don't know who to blame - the scriptwriter Cormac McCarthy or the director Ridley Scott. Probably both.

Counseling the Counselor

[3xHCCH · 4/10 · 14 November 2013]

When I first heard about this film and its pedigreed credentials: Director Ridley Scott, Starring Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt, I was excited to see it. However, because of the very poor reviews and box office performance Stateside, I have tempered my expectations before I went to see it. And so should you.

"The Counselor" refers to the nameless character played by Michael Fassbender. He appears to be a very successful lawyer, happily engaged to a gorgeous, church-going girl (Penelope Cruz). However, for some reason this film never really completely discloses, he still felt the need to get himself involved with a Mexican drug cartel for additional cash, peppered with colorful characters, like the wild-haired Reiner (Javier Bardem), his slinky girlfriend Malkina (Cameron Diaz) and the urban cowboy Westray (Brad Pitt). Will the Counselor get away with both the girl and cash?

When I saw in the opening credits that the script was by Cormac McCarthy, who was responsible for "No Country for Old Men" (which I did not exactly like), I braced myself for one puzzling and boring ride.

However, it was not exactly all boring after all. There were those pockets of incredible tension and violence involving necks which you will not soon forget.

Michael Fassbender was okay as the titular Counselor, but there was nothing about his character which was fully-explored. He is obviously greedy enough to risk everything he had to get himself involved in nefarious criminal activities, but we do not see why. So we end up not caring at all about him. We actually see other characters counsel him, than him counseling others.

Cameron Diaz's femme fatale character Malkina was unexpectedly well- developed. She is certainly no dumb blond bimbo here. Her scenes though were the most perplexing as to where she was coming from. She has a scene on the windshield of a luxury car that was as head-scratching as it was sensually acrobatic.

Javier Bardem is really very comfortable playing these cool sinister types. Penelope Cruz is too good to be true. I expected more out of their characters than what ended up in the final edit we saw, which was disappointing.

I found the character of Brad Pitt the most interesting one of all. Every time Westray was on the screen, the story perks up and even the long conversations he has with the Counselor actually made sense. Too bad Pitt was only in about a third of the film or less.

"The Counselor" comes across as a slick action-filled crime caper film at first glance. However as you watch it, you will realize that it was actually mostly long-winded, unrealistically philosophical conversations and monologues from the most unlikely of characters. I think the main problem is the turgid and generally lifeless script which the talents of the director nor the actors could save.

Expectations

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 14 June 2014]

I'm not sure what most people were expecting, but it's obvious the movie did not meet whatever that was. If you have so many big names in one movie, those expectations can get very heavy obviously. Still this movie is really good, just not on what some thought it promised them. I haven't seen the trailer yet, but I know those trailers can be deceiving as well as promoting something.

The movie has a very philosophical strain and can be watched a couple of times. There is also a sexual tone that some might find disturbing (especially the car window thing, you'll know when you watch it), but it's all about dominance. And it's about life choices and planting things that you will for better or worse reap ... not everyones cup of tea, but a very strong movie nevertheless.

Big names - Small movie

[helloitsmerob · 6/10 · 29 January 2014]

Im giving this film a 6 for Brad Pitt's performance.

This film is a brilliant example of muddling dialogue with plot, and in return, getting nothing but a cheap "drug deal went wrong" film.

Poetic? No. The film relies on the characters telling you stories of their past, to try and confuse you, or give a sense of realism. It fails to do both, yet leaves you wondering why your not skipping to the Brad Pitt scenes. This film is not your typical drug film, its actually worse. Its about a rich Councillor. Who for some reason, wants even more money to have a comfortable life for his new fiancée.

Bottom line..If you like films that do that confusing thing about telling you nothing of the story, yet just throw random scenes together with a bit of music from a library of "drug movie music stuff" then go ahead, sit back, and wait for brad pitt to enter the screen. Because everybody else is awful.

Convoluted does not equal Complex

[ferguson-6 · 3/10 · 27 October 2013]

Greetings again from the darkness. The best dramatic writers thrive on creating a story filled with intricacies, multi-faceted characters, mis-direction, and a complex interweaving of sub-plots. Cormac McCarthy has proved he is one of the best such writers through his highly successful novels ... some of which have made the transition to the screen: All the Pretty Horses, The Road, and of course, No Country for Old Men. This, however, is his first attempt at an original screenplay. Describing it as a disappointment is a severe understatement.

The cool parts of this movie: Bruno Ganz as a diamond dealer in Amsterdam and the two live cheetahs.

The parts of the film that could have been interesting: the wardrobes of all main characters, Javier Bardem's Brian Grazer-inspired hairdo, the line-up of luxury vehicles (Bentley, Ferrari, etc), and the "bolito".

The parts of this movie that were never going to work: the opening scene with Michael Fassbender and Penelope Cruz frolicking under the sheets, dialogue that is too poetic for the characters, Brad Pitt as his grown up scammer from Thelma and Louise, Fassbender's Texas accent, and Cameron Diaz.

The part of this movie that is an outright disgrace: Cameron Diaz doing the splits while having intimate relations with the windshield of Bardem's Ferrari ... maybe this idea came from Joe Eszterhas after being rejected as too outlandish for Showgirls.

Chances are viewers will fall into two camps: thinking this is a wild and crazy ride inside the Mexican drug cartel, OR believing this is one of 2013's sloppiest, messiest, most pointless and confusing wastes of time in a movie theater. I am solidly in group two and can't even recommend you see this to determine where you fall.

The cast is filled with A-listers: Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz. The writer is a renowned novelist. The director is three time Oscar nominee Ridley Scott. How could it miss? Even the best actors can be miscast. Even the best writers have work best left unpublished. Even the best directors lose control of a project.

I guess the best running joke throughout the movie is that Fassbender's titular character is constantly receiving counseling, rather than offering it. At its core, the story is just another drug deal gone bad (do any movie drug deals ever go "right"?). With it's unusual visuals, unrealistic conversations, and convoluted sub-plots, this one would have played better as a slideshow. Instead, I am left with this: I'll never look at a smudge on my windshield the same again.

Disappointing is such a limited word...

[radhrh · 1/10 · 1 February 2014]

Do the math, take an all star cast where even the likes of Rosie Perez and John Leguizamo play only bit parts, add the writing talents of Cormac McCarthy then put one of the greatest (if not the greatest) movie directors of his generation in charge and wrap it all up in a tale of greed and depravity you should be onto something pretty special. To say I was gasping to see this would have been an understatement.

However, the result, instead of being a gripping piece of movie making destined to become a classic, is an overlong, predictable, contrived and pretentious piece of junk. I would like to have termed it filth but that would imply it elicited some kind of reaction other than simple boredom.

The film is basically a series of long winded one on one conversations between the various cast members that are intended to be deep and meaningful but are instead merely pretentious and dull. It is rare to see more than 2 characters on screen at the same time. I won't bore you with the plot, such as it is apart from to say it is as predictable and clichéd as it is full of holes. There are no surprises, there are no twists, there is no humour, there is no tension, there is very little action, just a bunch of blah blah blah which is in itself completely unrealistic, who talks like this anyway? No one, and that's exactly who should waste there time with this drivel.

An unsuitable film . . .

[YaMuthaSuxCoxinHellGrrrr · 30 May 2021]

. . . for the uneducated, culturally unaware and intellectually bankrupt individuals.

Vague Plot and Less Alive Dialogue

[risti-irawan · 6/10 · 10 December 2013]

Opened by erotic scene by Counselor (Michael Fassbender) and Laura (Penelope Cruz) which is certainly intended to increase the audience's libido. Throughout the film, the philosophy of life, women, and sex are elaborated through many lengthy dialogs that require the audience to be patient in following.

Ridley Scott and Comac McCarthy seemed to forget that the audience needs information that can be digested through the screen. The film has very minimal information, such as : Counselor's real name was never mentioned, what was the real deal of Counselor-Reiner (Javier Bardem)-Westray (Brad Pitt), who is actually Malkina (Cameron Diaz) and for whom she work and what her motive, who's the boss of the motor driver, police in disguise, et all? Minimum information is sometimes done to create an interesting twist, but there are too many questions that are not answered in the Counselor. The film is forcing the audience to develop the story in their own mind and keep guessing what really happened. I found many scene that are not really important, and doesn't have a clear connection to the movie, like a counselor meetings with the diamond expert, Malkina's confession, angry stranger on the Counselor at the café.

Only the execution of the murder arguably good, because the prior information is told to the audience in the very clear dialog, for example : when Counselor receive the DVD says "Hola!", the audience already knows what's in it because Westray had told Counselor in earlier scene. (reinforced by the scene of body parts Laura in the trash). Including the murder of Westray, we know it from the dialog of Reiner-Counselor.

What annoying is the logical action of the character. When these people are dealing with illicit drug business and his life, is it not too obvious for them to have some bodyguards? Well, Counselor might be a new person, but wealthy figure like Reiner would like to go alone with only 2 leopards? Especially when it is supposed he shared with Malkina? Is it not too careless? Then would not be the counselor able to guess that his telephone was tapped? I hope that "Boise"-thing is just Counselor's trickery to distract the enemy, but it's just to prove that Counselor is stupid. Laura kidnapping also feels strange, she appears to have reached a certain place, and lowered his stuff, does not she should choose to use the services of valets? The last illogical thing is Westray simply get attracted to a beautiful women, and in a scene that is not shown, unexpectedly the beautiful women have gotten all the secret codes, is it not too easy?

The information provided at the end of the film is Malkina as the enemy in the blanket -- and that's not enough! NOTE also, that this movie is very love to behead people. It is unfortunate that the great acting of the cast, The Counselor fails to be a qualified film. Screwed by a vague plot and less alive dialog. My score is 6/10.

The Counselor: I Advise You to Stay Away

[brickmoviereviews · 1/10 · 28 October 2013]

Down in Mexico, drugs flow like water. When a successful lawyer decides to go into business with criminals to get a piece of the action, the blood starts flowing too. The Counselor focuses on the Counselor (Michael Fassbender) and his business dealings after he becomes engaged to Laura (Penelope Cruz). With things going smoothly in his life, the Counselor tries to make some money on the side by getting himself mixed in with drug trafficking and opening a club with his friend, Reiner (Javier Bardem). Being a successful businessman and criminal, Reiner is mixed up in a confusing sexual relationship with Malkina (Cameron Diaz) who ultimately has ulterior motives from standing by Reiner's side. With the club being funded by Westray (Brad Pitt), things for the Counselor could not be better, that is until one of his clients, Ruth (Rosie Perez), calls the Counselor from jail, and asks him to get her son released from jail over a speeding ticket.

Thinking nothing of it, the Counselor gets Ruth's son out of jail. Once released, the son meets a man at a coffee house, picks up a device that belongs on the truck that is trafficking drugs, and leaves the meeting. All the while, an assassin had been spying on the meeting, and set a trap for Ruth's son, who speeds down the roads at over 200 MPH. After the son is dead, the assassin collects the device, and leaves the body in the road. The people Ruth's son were working for suspect the Counselor was behind the killing, since he freed the son from jail. Fearing for their lives, the Counselor, Reiner, and Westray scramble to save themselves.

Plain and simple, The Counselor, directed by Ridley Scott, is awful. The movie does not make any sense. The opening scene is an awkward lovemaking scene between Fassbender's Counselor and Cruz's Laura, and then proceeds to have sex as an underlying theme in the movie, which was, in my opinion, completely unnecessary. The movie is confusing enough without adding aspects that do not even remotely make sense in context. Throughout the entire 117 minutes, The Counselor jumps from scene to scene, plot point to plot point, without any sort of transition or explanation. To be honest, I had absolutely no idea what the movie was even about until I looked it up when I got back from the theater. Drugs were only seen twice, at the beginning and the end of the movie, and only mentioned once, which was strange given the fact that the movie was about drug trafficking. The acting was OK. None of the actors stood out and gave memorable performances. The storytelling was sloppy and haphazardly thrown together, and the writing was terrible. Quite frankly, my favorite part of the movie was the end credits.

Of the duds of October movie releases (Runner Runner, The Fifth Estate), The Counselor is by far the WORST of them all. Granted, I gave Runner Runner and OK review and The Fifth Estate an mediocre review at best, I would recommend those movies a thousand times before I would recommend The Counselor once. The movie was sloppily made, confusing, poorly written, uninteresting, and boring. If I could give it a lower number of stars I would but I cannot, so I stick with one star, and I beg you, please save your money.

Rating: 1 of 10

BrickMovieReviews.wordpress.com @BrickFilmReview

A 95% Cormac McCarthy film

[estebangonzalez10 · 6/10 · 8 November 2013]

"I'm pretty skeptical about the goodness of the good."

The Counselor is without a doubt one of the most divisive films of the year. It has received a lot of hatred, but at the same time some people absolutely loved it. I understand why this film has caused such a reaction because it doesn't follow your normal narrative structure and is heavy on the philosophical dialogues. I've liked most of Ridley Scott's films, I was one of the few who actually loved Prometheus, and I also think that Cormac McCarthy is a great novelist (No Country for Old Men being his masterpiece) so when I heard the two were going to work together I couldn't help but add this to my watchlist. My expectations took a blow when I read all the early reviews and so I went into this expecting a complete flaw. To my surprise it wasn't as bad as I was lead to believe (I can think of at least 50 films I've seen this year that are far worse) and I ended up slightly enjoying this. Despite its heavy loaded philosophical dialogues and lack of characterization, there are some great scenes in The Counselor and some great performances. This film easily has one of the most memorable murder scenes I've seen all year, but at the same time it has many scenes that really felt out of place (like the scene involving Cameron Diaz and the yellow Ferrari). The Counselor feels more like a McCarthy film than a Ridley Scott movie, and his dark humor and anti climatic scenes are all over the place here in this suspenseful thriller (if I can really call it that because it isn't really generic at all). The Counselor isn't an easy watch and at times it feels too preachy, but it kept my interest nonetheless. McCarthy's message about facing the consequences of your sins was loud and clear in The Counselor.

The plot is pretty simple actually as the film focuses more on the dialogues than the actual events. Michael Fassbender plays a successful lawyer who is known simply as the Counselor. He falls deeply in love with Laura (Penelope Cruz), a girl of simple tastes, but in order to give her a dreamy life the Counselor decides to enter a one time deal involving drug trafficking. His business associate, the wealthy Reiner (Javier Bardem) who spends most of his time drinking expensive whisky in the mornings and watching his pet cheetahs hunt down rabbits, warns him about the dangers involved in this deal. Reiner has been in this business for a long time and knows how the cartel works, but the Counselor decides to team up with him nonetheless. Reiner's girlfriend, Malkina (Cameron Diaz), is a very smart woman who is kind of shady as Reiner never knows what she is up to. The middle man involved in the transaction between the cartel and Reiner is Westray (Brad Pitt) who also warns the Counselor about the world he's getting himself into. The deal is an apparently simple one as the cartel uses Reiner's trucks to carry the drugs to Chicago, but an unfortunate accident puts everyone's life in danger.

The Counselor, who ironically in this film is always receiving advice from everyone, learns that greed isn't a good thing. The film focuses on greed and evil, but there is way too much talking at times which makes it feel too preachy at times. I think that much of the criticism this film is receiving has to do with the high expectations that people had about it considering the talented cast and crew involved int his film. Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, and Brad Pitt actually lift this film in my opinion and make their characters bearable to watch on screen. These characters aren't people we would care for in any other film, but the actors make it tolerable. I especially liked Fassbender in this film and I think he gives yet another powerful performance. The weakest link here was Cameron Diaz who never felt natural in my opinion, but that perhaps was part of McCarthy's plan. She isn't as strong as Bardem was in No Country for Old Men, but she kind of plays that same character that McCarthy tends to include in his novels. This is the first time that McCarthy writes an original screenplay since the other films were based on his novels, and this is definitely more his film than Scott's. If you are a fan of his work than you will probably like this film more than other people. I think one of the key McCarthy moments can be seen through Ruben Blades's monologue about how our decisions ultimately set our fate. There are just too many memorable scenes in this film for me not to give it a passing grade. The Counselor isn't an easy watch, but if you go into it with your expectations lowered you might actually be in for a surprise.

characters with no compelling interest

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 23 April 2014]

The Counselor (Michael Fassbender) is a defense lawyer with questionable friends like Reiner (Javier Bardem). Reiner is a brash club owner living a lavish lifestyle and introduces the Counselor to drug trafficker Westray (Brad Pitt). The Counselor proposes to girlfriend Laura (Penélope Cruz). Reiner's woman Malkina (Cameron Diaz) is wild and outrageous. Meanwhile the drug cartel is transporting drugs in an old liquid waste tank truck. The Counselor has a client Ruth (Rosie Perez) in prison. Her son is connected to the drugs and he bails him out of a speeding ticket. Then things go terribly wrong.

I don't know what Cormac McCarthy wrote but what director Ridley Scott put on the screen is a mess. None of the four main characters are compelling. Fassbender projects no emotions. Bardem is way over the top still with a bit of Bond villain in him. Diaz is at least interesting, but Cruz is lost in this innocent sweet character. Brad Pitt comes in for a nice cameo. The story feels disjointed. There are bits of great ideas dispersed throughout the movie. However the bits don't add up to a compelling movie. All the A-list stars step on each other. It needs a grittier dirtier style to make this realistic and exciting. The action comes in a little too late. And Fassbender's coolness works against him here.

Some fine moments, but unbalanced

[rubenm · 6/10 · 30 November 2013]

A woman having sex with a car. A guy shaking a decapitated head out of a motorcycle helmet. A man getting killed by an automatic strangling device. All this and more in 'The Counselor', an over-the-top movie about a lawyer getting involved in a shady drugs deal that inevitably goes terribly wrong.

Apart from these extreme scenes, the cast is the main attraction of the movie. Top notch Hollywood stars like Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem and Cameron Diaz are playing weird characters. They are all living in a world full of beautiful people, driving expensive cars and living in design interiors.

Add to this some dialogues full of absurd wisecracks like 'The truth has no temperature', and you get a film that could be great. With these ingredients, 'The Counselor' could have been an ultra cool film, something like a crossing between Tarantino and the Coen Brothers.

But somehow, it all doesn't add up. For one thing, the plot is never completely clear. I tried to connect the dots, but I didn't succeed. This is not in all cases a problem. In a film like 'Syriana' the plot was also hazy, but this didn't bother me. As long as you go along with the general mood of a film, it's not a problem when some elements are not spelled out. But in this case, too much is left unexplained.

And then there is the dialogue. There is a lot of it. Some of it is witty and sharp. Unfortunately, there are also lengthy monologues full of heavy philosophical thoughts, which are completely unbelievable and not helping the film in any way. Writer Cormac McCarthy failed in this respect. This film has some fine moments, but it is unbalanced and doesn't reach its full potential.

Poorly-scripted drug trafficking drama

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 15 May 2016]

THE COUNSELLOR is an odd film from director Ridley Scott. While his direction remains exemplary and is difficult to fault, the script from novelist Cormac McCarthy (THE ROAD) is very poor and difficult to fathom. I don't think it's a good idea for novelists to attempt to write such scripts, because novels are nothing like screenplays and such films sometimes come across feeling false and too wordy. That's the case here.

Although the plotting in this film isn't too convoluted, it's the dialogue that really drags this down and makes everything feel twice as long as it really takes. Everyone in here is some kind of moral philosopher, given to sitting down and spouting long treaties to the other characters. None of what they say is very interesting, and much of it is rather dull. Hollywood seems to have a real problem in making films about drug trafficking; like SAVAGES, this one misses the mark.

The problem lies with the characters; there are a lot of them, often played by popular actors, but none are good. Michael Fassbender's lead feels extraneous in the story and is one-dimensional throughout. Cameron Diaz is miscast and really struggling, and Penelope Cruz is there for the glamour alone. The only one who comes out of it with his head held high is Brad Pitt, who makes things feel as effortless as ever. The rest of the cast seem to show up to do a scene and then disappear again for good. This isn't what film-making is about.

Perhaps Scott's most underrated film.

[MOscarbradley · 8/10 · 30 March 2021]

This terrifically cast, sleek, glossy and intricately plotted Ridley Scott thriller from a Cormac McCarthy script wasn't a success and yet it may be one of the best things Scott ever did. "The Counselor" of the title is Michael Fassbender, a lawyer moving in high circles that includes drugs baron Javier Bardem and his lady Cameron Diaz as well as a shady 'cowboy' played by Brad Pitt and his involvement with such characters leads him into situations he might otherwise not want to find himself in.

It's typical McCarthy, even if it's not front rank McCarthy, and maybe the tortuous plot proved too much for both critics and audiences but it's a movie that uses its showy cast , (that also inclues Penelope Cruz, Bruno Ganz, Rosie Perez, Edgar Ramirez and Rueben Blades), to excellent effect and thanks to Dariusz Wolski's cinematography it looks terrific. Best of all, it's a movie that takes familiar material and shakes it about in unconventional ways. In the acting stakes it's Pitt and Diaz who own the picture which certainly didn't deserve the critical thrashing it got at the time and is now ripe for reassessment.

For Me Much Higher Than A 5.4!!

[nathanielh1989 · 7/10 · 19 June 2014]

After finally watching this film i had to write my very first review. Once hearing about this film and who was in it i was already excited about it. I waited for the trailer and again this kept me pumped for the film. Then after its release i began reading reviews and watching what people had to say about the film and i completely lost interest. Last time i do that, i really enjoyed this film and think its been hard done by in the reviews.

Where as some would say it can be slow and the dialogue long i actually enjoyed it. For me the slow gradual build up was a snowball of tension. The lengthy speeches can be a little hard to follow or cryptic but overall i did enjoy this film.

Its a film that doesn't spend any time spoon feeding the plot and it is a film where a gunshot actually has some gravity to it.

Disappointing neo-noir from Ridley Scott and Cormac McCarthy

[george.schmidt · 1/10 · 14 November 2013]

THE COUNSELOR (2013) * Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Bruno Ganz, Rosie Perez, Ruben Blades, Goran Visnjic, Dean Norris, (uncredited: John Leguizamo) Disappointing neo-noir from Ridley Scott and Cormac McCarthy (his first - and should be his last - original screenplay) which makes not-a-lick-of-sense about titular Fassbender (surprisingly wooden) who finds himself in over his head in a drug deal gone awry involving mysterious cowboy middleman PItt (far-too-sedate here), an obnoxious nightclub owner (Bardem relying on wild-hair and rock star accouterments instead of 'acting), and a drug cartel out for bloody vengeance. The cardinal sin of this potboiler is the first leaden hour cannot compensate for its too-quick-to-kill final one and wasting Cruz completely. While Diaz is the film's saving grace as a femme fatale with a feline complex nothing else is worthy or remarkable except how much of a dud this truly is.