The Counselor (Movie Tie-in Edition): A Screenplay (Vintage International)
Most of us would have preferred a novel, but when it comes to the acclaimed author of The Road and Blood Meridian, we’ll take what we can get, and what we have here is an original screenplay for a forthcoming film directed by Ridley Scott. A lawyer, identified only as Counselor, is setting up a onetime drug score with some of his bad-guy associates. If all goes as planned, Counselor and his fiancé can ride off into the sunset. It will come as no surprise when the best-laid plans go awry and brutal acts of violence ensue. In the hands of a lesser author, this conventional plot would seem trite, but McCarthy’s philosophic and erudite dialogue, vivid exposition, and intriguing characters give the story a unique vitality. In his previous novel, The Road, spare prose depicts a dark, lawless, postapocalyptic world with only a tiny hint of hope; The Counselor, set in a more recognizable landscape, and with more loquacious characters, retains McCarthy’s trademark darkness. The star-studded cast will include Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, and Javier Bardem. --Ben Segedin