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The Counselor

R Released Oct 25, 2013 1h 57m Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama List
34% Tomatometer 220 Reviews 24% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A Bentley-driving Texas lawyer (Michael Fassbender) appears to have it all, including a beautiful fiancee named Laura (Penélope Cruz) -- but his financial needs force him to become involved in an ill-advised drug deal. His partners in the venture include middleman Westray (Brad Pitt), shady nightclub owner Reiner (Javier Bardem) and Malkina (Cameron Diaz), Reiner's sociopathic lover. Unsurprisingly, the counselor's deal spirals out of control, placing both him and Laura in mortal danger.
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The Counselor

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Critics Consensus

The Counselor raises expectations with its talented cast and creative crew -- then subverts them with a wordy and clumsy suspense thriller that's mercilessly short on suspense or thrills.

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Critics Reviews

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh metro.co.uk It's like watching a movie in another language. Rated: 2/5 Sep 6, 2017 Full Review Alissa Wilkinson Christianity Today [McCarthy] reminds us (with a particularly American sensibility) that this world is broken and tragic and not fair, and that pushing past that fact too fast is an error we can't afford to make, for the good of our souls. Rated: 2.5/4 Apr 13, 2016 Full Review Wesley Morris Grantland It's filthy, nasty, sexy, absurd, appalling, and exhilarating, and it succeeds as a musky union of novelist Cormac McCarthy's bleakness and Ridley Scott's sense of chic. Dec 10, 2013 Full Review JD Duran InSession Film The movie tries to be outside the box but only lives in despair and lifeless blunder. Rated: D+ Aug 15, 2024 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Just as he's done in many of his novels, McCarthy's first screenplay follows his stylized, almost mythically cynicism with unwavering detachment and insight. Rated: 4/4 Aug 22, 2022 Full Review Therese Lacson Nerdophiles McCarthy is ambitious in his first original screenplay,(...) in the end (...) [it] could even be too verbose for a critical audience. Rated: 4/5 Oct 9, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mike Paddy O Worst film Ive seen in a long time. Complete waste of talent. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/28/24 Full Review Jack G A underrated but badly miscast film. If the viewers are needed to read McCarthy's work to understand a movie like this, so are potential cast members as well. Brad Pitt, Fassbender, and Bardem, did well for their roles. Diaz was just a poor choice of casting and a number of the side characters. You can tell filming this movie was really awkward because of how perplexed the cast would have been by the dialogue. Fassbender's acting feels very forced and he mumbles too much. I don't think people can immediately grasp the depth of McCarthy's characters. They're not supposed to be interpreted as pseudo-profound, wannabe, academic Hollywood. You can tell how dumb an actor/actress is by how poorly the lines are executed. It's a shame with the casting because the screenplay and directing is great. Classic McCarthy. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/12/24 Full Review Bro The only character in the film I didn't like was Malkina. What she was able to do was a bit far fetched, however, there was enough here with star power and excellent acting to keep me interested. Some of Ridley Scott's recent offerings are a bit high brow, but he is still one of the best. It shines through at times with this. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/22/24 Full Review Alec B A sick, twisted, and viciously cruel movie but at least it's an extremely well made sick, twisted, and viciously cruel movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/28/24 Full Review Steph G I'm a Ridley Scott fan. Blade Runner is one of my favourite films of all time, and several other of his films among the finest. The Counselor, despite having all of the right ingredients on paper, is painfully bad. The cast doesn't mesh well, perhaps it has something to do with how the characters are developed, which is weak and slow. The script if often excruciatingly long-winded and contrived. I don't find Fassbender and Cruz credible as a couple here, and I really like both actors. Bardem's character is insufferable and also too contrived, despite his great acting talent. Diaz does nice and likeable too well to pull off her character here. I couldn't finish watching this film. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/24 Full Review Rick R A brilliantly directed narrative about the personal consequences of submitting to temptation induced by greed. Ridley Scott has cleverly created a subtly evil atmosphere that increasingly pervades the whole film to the point where it becomes genuinely terrifying. A spellbinding production that is very unsettling. Michael Fassbinder's depiction of initial conceit mixed with weakness is spot on while Cameron Diaz turns in a performance so above her usual mark it is arguably the best of her career. Pemberton's score is perfect for this masterpiece. All in all a brilliant outlining of how the ignorant human ego can drift unwittingly but surely into the clutches of pure evil. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/06/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A Bentley-driving Texas lawyer (Michael Fassbender) appears to have it all, including a beautiful fiancee named Laura (Penélope Cruz) -- but his financial needs force him to become involved in an ill-advised drug deal. His partners in the venture include middleman Westray (Brad Pitt), shady nightclub owner Reiner (Javier Bardem) and Malkina (Cameron Diaz), Reiner's sociopathic lover. Unsurprisingly, the counselor's deal spirals out of control, placing both him and Laura in mortal danger.
Director
Ridley Scott
Producer
Ridley Scott, Nick Wechsler, Steve Schwartz, Paula Mae Schwartz
Screenwriter
Cormac McCarthy
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Scott Free Productions, Chockstone Pictures, Nick Wechsler
Rating
R (Language|Graphic Violence|Some Grisly Images|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 25, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 10, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$16.9M
Runtime
1h 57m
Sound Mix
Datasat, Dolby Stereo
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