The Counselor

Plot synopsis:
A high-level cartel lawyer (never addressed by any name except as "the Counselor") and his girlfriend Laura are talking sexily in bed. Meanwhile, somewhere in Mexico, cocaine is packaged in barrels and concealed in a sewage truck, driven across the border and stored at a sewage treatment plant.
After the Counselor goes to Amsterdam to meet with a diamond dealer to purchase an engagement ring for Laura, he proposes and she accepts. At a party back in Texas thrown by Reiner and girlfriend Malkina, a former call girl with a greedy lust for money, the Counselor discusses a nightclub he and Reiner intend to run, as well as an upcoming drug deal, which would be his first.
The Counselor meets with Westray, a business associate of Reiner's. He hears of the deal's four-thousand percent return rate, but Westray warns the Counselor about becoming involved, saying that Mexican cartels are merciless. The Counselor remains outwardly confident and unconcerned.
Malkina gains knowledge of the deal through her access to Reiner and by conveniently overhearing various intercoms in Reiner's home. Reiner describes an execution device called "the bolito" which gradually strangles and decapitates the victim. Reiner also tells the Counselor how disturbed and oddly aroused he was from an incident where he witnessed Malkina masturbate with his Ferrari California's windshield.
The Counselor visits a client, a prison inmate named Ruth who is on trial for murder. Ruth's son is a biker and a valued cartel member known as "the Green Hornet," recently arrested for speeding. The Counselor agrees to bail him out of jail.
Malkina senses an opportunity to undermine the Counselor's upcoming deal and to profit for herself. She employs "the Wireman" to steal the drugs. He decapitates the biker, Ruth's recently released son, with a wire stretched across the highway. Then the Wireman steals the truck containing the cocaine.
Learning of the theft, Westray meets with the Counselor to notify him that the biker is dead and the cocaine stolen, bleakly intoning the Counselor's culpability. Westray says he is leaving town immediately and suggests the Counselor do the same. Westray explains that the cartel's ruthlessness extends to creating "snuff films" where murder victims are filmed having necrophilia performed on them on camera. The Counselor makes an urgent call to Laura, arranging to meet her in another state, where he will explain.
The cartel has learned that the Counselor bailed out the Green Hornet, which appears as suspicious timing and fully blameworthy for the punitive purposes of the cartel. In Texas, two cartel members pretending to be police officers pull over the Wireman and his accomplice, killing both and also gunning down an innocent driver who comes upon the scene.
Reiner is accidentally killed by cartel members while they are attempting to capture him. The cartel then kidnaps Laura. In a last-ditch effort, The Counselor contacts Jefe, a high-ranking cartel member, for suggestions on what to do next. Jefe darkly and mordantly advises the Counselor to resign himself to the choices he made long beforehand.
The Counselor goes to Mexico, hoping to find and rescue Laura there. A package is slipped under the door of his hotel room and in it he finds a DVD with "Hola!" written on it, breaking down in heavy sobs at the awareness that the disk likely contains a snuff film of Laura sent by the cartel. In an unnamed location, Laura's headless body is dumped into a landfill.
Malkina's failed effort to steal the drugs does not deter her. She tracks Westray to London, where she hires a blonde woman to seduce him and steal his bank codes. She then has accomplices steal Westray's laptop, and he is killed with the "bolito" device that Reiner had previously described. Malkina then meets her banker at a restaurant, coolly explaining how she wants her profits and accounts to be handled.

Tags: neo noir, philosophical, murder, flashback

Review:
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.
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.
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.
Was so very reluctant to go see this due to the amount of extremely negative reviews, glad I didn't listen.Like all of you I was drawn to the writer, director & cast combination which told me this film had a chance at greatness, well I'm not so sure about greatness but this is a very good movie, one which both my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed.The plot is secondary, only the story outline is necessary ("honest citizen" buys into a onetime drug deal which goes bad and there are serious consequences) to act as a framework around the events that unfold.
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.
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.
A great film, but not an easy film.And as good as Fassbinder is -- and he is -- Cameron Diaz steals the movie even with minimal screen time, using her eyes like a weapon, as far from her role in Charies Angels as the earth is from the moon..
I don't think we even cared that much about what happened anymore and were frankly just glad we didn't have to watch any more.I don't know how anyone could really enjoy this movie unless they were looking for something with no action, no plot and dialog performed by actors who seem more bored than I was just watching the film.
The story, like most McCarthy tales, is simple: a nameless lawyer (Fassbender), madly in love with his fiancée Laura (Cruz) and seeking to provide for her and give her the life she deserves, decides to get in a once-and-I'm-out deal: namely, to get involved in a venture dealing with twenty million dollars worth of drugs being ferried to the States from Mexico.
The counselor's associates in this job are the flamboyant Reiner (Javier Bardem, returning to McCarthy's bleak world yet again, though this time sporting a Brian Grazer-esque hairdo instead of Chigurh's pageboy) and middleman Westray (Brad Pitt, sporting a Tom Petty style), both of whom warn the counselor that this deal will change his life in ways he cannot fathom.
The Counselor is not an easy watch, both because of its violence and because Scott and McCarthy (I have to credit both men; it feels like such a collaborative creative effort) don't dumb it down.
On the other hand, if you are among the diminishing number of movie-goers who actually enjoys deeply portentous dialog (this is a GOOD thing), first-rate acting, and a story line leading to a denouement that that will leave you wanting to see this film again and again, then this is a film for you.
I've read reviews complaining its too predictable but I feel like that's the point, as it involves a relatively "good man" getting in bed with a drug cartel and everyone kind of tells him to be sure that he understands, that bad things could/will happen.
I don't see this as a complaint, since A.) real people get involved in this stuff knowing bad things can happen despite all the warnings heard ahead of time and B.) some of the obvious foreshadows have great pay offs, and C.) knowing what's to come and watching anyways has a sort of knowing dread about it.
Fantastic dialogs, which although unlikely because we will never find lawyers and killers as poetic as the ones depicted on this movie (Cormac McCarthy, after all, is a great writer) summarize and propose precise reflections on how little we really understand about the violence and brutality of drug trafficking.
It's not cryptic dialogs as some suggest, you just have to pay close attention to the details.Adding that the violence displayed in the film is unbelievably cruel considering that this is a AAA movie ( big budget, great director, big-name casting, famous writer, etc), this become the most pleasant surprise I've watched this year.
Ridley Scott does a superb job of capturing the essence of McCarthys screenplay, make up your own mind as there are too many negative reviews.In my opinion this will grow a following and be considered a great film in the future, the performances are superb the story quite simple when you think about it (to many people saying it's complicated, it is not.It's a cold movie with cold characters and not your usual Hollywood nonsense which is where I think the bad reviews are coming from, people see Scott with Fassbender, Pitt, Cruz etc and expect the usual fair.Go into this with an open mind and enjoy the story for what it is..
Written by Cormac McCarthy, it's very similar in tone to his best known work, "No Country for Old Men".I know some will disagree (well, many already have with the lukewarm ratings and disappointing box office it's getting--the R ratings crowd apparently opting for MTV's "Bad Grandpa", sigh), but I think this is Ridley Scott's best since "Gladiator".
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, 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).
In this review, I reveal important plot details regarding "The Counselor," "Blood Meridian," and "No Country For Old Men."A lot of people are trashing Ridley Scott's new film, "The Counselor"...but honestly, I think they're misunderstanding the film's characters, monologues, and themes -- chiefly because they're not familiar with Cormac McCarthy's style, outlook, or world view.
This movie was way too predictable!" But again, because he's so unfamiliar with McCarthy's "universe," he didn't enjoy the film.For the record...I have read EVERY (published) McCarthy novel and I have seen MOST of Scott's films (I never saw "A Good Year" or "Legend" or a few others not worth mentioning)...so I feel that I'm in a very good position to offer my opinion concerning "The Counselor" -- perhaps the best film I saw in 2013.To my friend who said that "The Counselor" was too predictable...I will agree; upon second viewing, this film is FILLED with not-so-subtle hints that death and misery will befall its main character, the Counselor.
Later in the story, a juggler tells fortunes using tarot cards...and later, the men are killed in various ways.Cameron Diaz's character, Malkina, like the Judge from "Blood Meridian" or Anton Chigurh from "No Country For Old Men," orchestrates death...and ultimately finds immunity from it.
Speaking of the art of killing, there is a chilling scene in which Westray (Brad Pitt's character) gives a graphic account of a hapless young girl who was slaughtered by one of the drug cartels in order to make a snuff film for a rich client who even went on to rape her headless corpse.Vintage Ridley Scott, McCarthy's cynical world is on full display here, in all its glory.
The second takes place towards the end of the film during which Rubén Blades' character Jefe demystifies the true meaning of life and death for the Counselor.
The character development and especially the dialogue felt like it was ripped from the pages of an unpublished Mcarthy book.On a raw level, this film tells the story of a lawyer who embraces greed and decides to take a path which leads him into a world of violence and deception.
While most are not opposed to a thought provoking movie, and would even probably prefer a movie to have a message and to have interesting intellectual material, I believe this movie goes WAY too far in trying to weave in themes, metaphors and complex dialogue, at the expense of developing the plot and the characters in the movie to a satisfactory extent.Probably the best feature of the movie is the performances from its actors, in particular Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem and Michael Fassbender.
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.
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 ...
The film has an star-studded cast and a screenwriter with a big reputation as a novelist, but the end result doesn't add up to anything more than a routine suspense thriller masquerading as a cautionary tale.As far as plot is concerned, the corrupt attorney soon gets out of his depth among the drug smugglers, hit-men, wicked women and a couple of cheetahs, but Scott provides little reason to care about the fate of his worthless characters.
For the life of me I cant understand how Ridley Scott convinced Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem to make this film.
They thought to follow the recipe of the Expandables perhaps and throw in a rubbish movie a lot of well-known actors (Pitt, Diaz, Cruz, Fassbender, Bardem) maybe, people will go and see it.
And that is the only reason why I went to see the movie after all.Cameron Diaz is not believable as villain, broken story that makes little to no sense, poor dialogue and boring action.
Disjointed, hollow, depressing and thoroughly miserable, this was a huge disappointment given the director and actors involved.I really began to think at one point that Scott must have been affected so badly by the suicide of his brother during the making of the film that he subconsciously projected his emptiness into his work.I so wanted some character sympathy to be shown but there was none.
This film is not recommended.Even with its line-up of big name stars, a distinguished director at the helm, and a first-time screenplay by renown novelist, Cormac McCarthy, the majority of critics have universally panned The Counselor unmercifully.
Surprisingly, I think Cameron Diaz & Brad Pitt may have given the best performances in the film, even with Fassbender's accomplished acting resume.
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.
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).
Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, and Brad Pitt actually lift this film in my opinion and make their characters bearable to watch on screen.
One film I liked a lot that was actually loathed and vilified as garbage by a majority of critics: Ridley Scott's filming of Cormac McCarthy's first original screenplay, "The Counselor".I found it tells a disturbing and deadly-serious morality play about how a bad choice can propel even a fairly good man into a nihilistic nightmare that takes away all he loves in life, leaving him to fester forever in the lowest hell of despair.
Ridley Scott and Cormac McCarthy have created something different here and, like the line in my summary quoted from the movie, it's no coincidence that their collaboration resulted in a bleakly nihilistic film.
I think that "The Counselor" builds too slowly and doesn't explain some characters' actions clearly enough, but Cormac McCarthy's script is generally well-written and Ridley Scott's direction is excellent.
THE COUNSELOR is a visually stunning movie with good performances by its star-studded cast, but the overly talky nature of the film made it feel like a collection of scenes rather than a cohesive movie.
Ridley Scott did an impeccable job as usual in delivering a visually compelling film, with a few great action sequences (as well as one scene with Cameron Diaz which I will not spoil...suffice it to say, you won't have seen anything like it before).
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.
Javier is such a scene thief.Michael Fassbender puts forward a very strong performance as does Cameron Diaz who simply reeks of sex throughout the film.At the end of the movie there is a conversation by Ruben Blades which is over the top.
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.
In this film it was obvious that they thought "ok lets take some star names, a well known director and screenwriter, Bardem always does the trick with "crazy" characters, add a lot of (unecessary) violence, two beautiful women and some "intellectual" quotes and we have a movie that will attract both a sophisticated audience and those who love violence.Well it doesn't work like that.
McCarthy's script is that of a man set on creating metaphorical and hypothetical jargon that looks to act as a deep and wise thesis on love, life and sin yet comes off as pretentious and weirdly amateurish.Director Ridley Scott has been in the cinematic doldrums for some years now, but all those that thought low points had been reached with such cinema scum like A Good Year, Robin Hood and the overblown mess that was Prometheus can now add The Counselor to that ever growing misfire list and perhaps sit it atop of Scott's worst films.
If your idea of a good time is movies like batman, the avengers, etc., this film is not for you.
Written by the incredible author Cormac McCarthy, who wrote a similarly simple and violent book-turned movie called No Country For Old Men, the script follows five characters; the aforementioned, Reiner's oversexed girlfriend Malkina (Cameron Diaz), and the mysterious cowboy middleman Westray (Brad Pitt).