The Counselor

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.