The Counselor

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The Counselor

R

Released Oct 25, 2013

1h 57m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

33%

Tomatometer

218 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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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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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

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Mike Thorn

In Review Online

The Counselor shows Scott’s pessimism alongside his obsessions with visual design and environment...

Oct 10, 2024

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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

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Christopher G

Really wish I hadn't bothered.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/12/24

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Eric C

I unapologetically love this film and it’s actually one of my favorites from Ridley Scott. It’s a magnificent and stylized study of the worst type of people in our world and how they all (almost) face the dire consequences of their decisions. The phone conversation between Fassbender and Rueben Blades at the end is both hauntingly beautiful and absolutely savage. Do not watch if you’re looking for a feel good movie. This is an example of the smaller, bolder mature films we are missing today… ones that aren’t afraid to look at the dark side of humanity for the sake of entertainment… and are done well.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/24/24

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Remo W

There is a lot of foreshadowing in the dialogue and you need to pay attention to make better sense of the events later in the film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/09/24

Full Review

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

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Korra N

I can get why some folks genuinely hate the film, but I love The Counselor because it plays like a visual novel. Not an adaptation, but it's as if the script is a novel that Ridley Scott is filming word-for-word. Bizarre dialogue and character beats help solidify what feels like Cormac McCarthy's unapologetic crime saga, complete with stunning cinematography and impeccable production design.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/11/24

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

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Ridley Scott

Director

Michael Fassbender

Counselor

Penélope Cruz

Laura

Cameron Diaz

Malkina

Javier Bardem

Reiner

Brad Pitt

Westray

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Critics Consensus: The Counselor is Eccentric but Uneven

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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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