Director-Ridley Scott
Rated-R
Length-117 min.
In a film that had all the ingredients to be another No Country For Old Men, Ridley Scott's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Counselor, was a bust. With beautiful and talented stars ranging from Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz to Michael Fassbender and Javier Bardem, I truly can't believe this film was not an instant classic. Now have you, there were definitely some thrilling and enticing moments throughout the film, but as a whole, it tried to tell too many stories at once.
The film begins in El Paso, Texas, right on the border of the U.S. and Mexico. This city of desert and desolation hides many secrets within its city limits and those who've become wealthy, usually have done some back-end deals to achieve that wealth.
Our main character, the Counselor (Michael Fassbender), has found himself in a bind for money, as he just recently shelled out a hefty sum to keep that little ring finger of his new wife Laura (Penelope Cruz), shining bright. Reiner (Javier Bardem), is a former client of the Counselor and one who plays that of the lavish entrepreneur who takes all the risks, but reaps all the rewards. As Reiner tries to warn the Counselor of the dangers of his business, he ignores his warning and moves forward with his dangerous ventures. But the real player in this situation is Malkina (Cameron Diaz), who plays a sly little vixen and Reiner's mistress. Her true intelligence is not fully realized until film's end, but as goes for so many greedy women, they don't give up until they get what they want.
Our main character, the Counselor (Michael Fassbender), has found himself in a bind for money, as he just recently shelled out a hefty sum to keep that little ring finger of his new wife Laura (Penelope Cruz), shining bright. Reiner (Javier Bardem), is a former client of the Counselor and one who plays that of the lavish entrepreneur who takes all the risks, but reaps all the rewards. As Reiner tries to warn the Counselor of the dangers of his business, he ignores his warning and moves forward with his dangerous ventures. But the real player in this situation is Malkina (Cameron Diaz), who plays a sly little vixen and Reiner's mistress. Her true intelligence is not fully realized until film's end, but as goes for so many greedy women, they don't give up until they get what they want.
The plot that plays out onscreen is that of all bad decisions gone awry, and the consequences of those who've made those decisions. Some learn from their mistakes and some don't live to see that day of redemption. But when all is said and done, those with no heart and a hunger to devour the weak prevail.
At film's end, I must admit that I was extremely confused, as the film's conclusion was not fully explained and I left the theater with a feeling of disappointment and wonder. I think Scott tried to incorporate too many stories within one grand scheme, and if he would've stuck to the main sequence of events the story would have played out a little more smoothly. Overall, this wasn't a bad film, it just didn't live up to all it's hype. The Counselor.
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