It seems like The Counselor should have been a sure thing.
Unfortunately, it is a garbled mess of a thriller, bogged down with uninteresting characters and a shamefully boring story. The film goes nowhere, and at no great speed.
The talents behind The Counselor are geniuses in their craft, but that does not stop the movie from failing at nearly every angle. Cormac McCarthy's ludicrous dialogue, filled with mediocre monologues and a few too many backstories, does not come through with any real effect or emotion.
Michael Fassbender stars as a man simply known as The Counselor, who is currently juggling a new fiancé (Penelope Cruz), a handful of lackluster clients, and his new trade: dabbling in the drug industry, along the help of his associate (Javier Bardem), and a drug expert (Brad Pitt). Bardem's girlfriend (Cameron Diaz) begins to cause problems, however, which propels everyone into a survival-of-the-fittest death race.
The fine actors in this production seem to have no interest in The Counselor. They give little effort to the dialogue, have no chemistry with one another, and act as though they do not even want to be there. Even the costuming is ridiculous; Bardem's design and character is meant to be eccentric, but the Oscar-winner himself just reads his lines and follows the motions with lackluster avail.
Diaz has received some flack for her femme fatale performance, and she does stick out like a sore thumb. However, this remains a good thing throughout the story; her villainous role is so looney it's almost enjoyable. She's certainly better than co-star Cruz, who does nothing but complain and spew petty garble.
The screenplay is thinly written, and the story is clearly progressing in a script-based manner. Ridley Scott's lack of directorial innovation comes across as lazy filmmaking, uncharacteristic of the legendary director. Everything about The Counselor is cheap.
The screenplay is thinly written, and the story is clearly progressing in a script-based manner. Ridley Scott's lack of directorial innovation comes across as lazy filmmaking, uncharacteristic of the legendary director. Everything about The Counselor is cheap.
And what the heck was with the cheetahs? Were they meant to represent the primal instincts of the characters? To show how humans are selfish creatures concerned solely for their own predator-like survival? Please. They're just cool to look at.
The Counselor remains proof that it takes more than a beautiful cast and an Oscar-worthy crew to make a good picture. It's one of the more forgettable movies of 2013, and the ending will leave viewers shrugging their shoulders. Just YouTube some of the more "interesting" death scenes, and that can be the extent of your suffering through the film.
One out of five stars.
The Counselor remains proof that it takes more than a beautiful cast and an Oscar-worthy crew to make a good picture. It's one of the more forgettable movies of 2013, and the ending will leave viewers shrugging their shoulders. Just YouTube some of the more "interesting" death scenes, and that can be the extent of your suffering through the film.
One out of five stars.
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