Film Review: ‘The Counselor’ Disguises Lackluster Storytelling in Philosophy

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CHICAGO – “That’s not what greed does; that’s what greed is.” Cormac McCarthy’s script for “The Counselor” is so weighed down with allegedly insightful philosophy like this that it collapses into a heap of laughable, unbelievable exchanges between characters who simply don’t exist in the real world. Strip away the dialogue that couldn’t possibly be mistaken for anyone other than the author of “No Country For Old Men” and “The Road,” and McCarthy’s first film written directly for the screen has almost nothing to hold viewer interest. It is a film in which people constantly talk about what they’re doing or their belief systems in relation to crime and morality and yet none of it feels represented through narrative. It is tempting to say that it’s all foreplay and no payoff but it’s not even that. It’s all talking about foreplay and no payoff.

Rating: 2.0/5.0

The Counselor (Michael Fassbender) has provided legal services to enough criminal types near the Juarez/Texas border for so long that he’s become intrigued enough to get involved in the lavish lifestyle himself. This world of undeniable opulence but questionable morality is represented by club owner and criminal type Reiner (Javier Bardem). With a beautiful home, lavish parties, and extravagant style, Reiner has drawn the attention of the terrifying Malkina (Cameron Diaz). She is first seen in a desert, training wild cats, and she is presented as a feline predator herself, complete with visuals (a tattoo, her eye makeup) to accompany the look of a creature stalking her prey. Malkina is the kind of powerful woman who doesn’t just laugh at the weak; she takes their money and has them killed.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “The Counselor” in our reviews section.

On the opposite end of the female spectrum in McCarthy’s vision is The Counselor’s girlfriend Laura (Penelope Cruz). The Counselor adores Laura with all of his heart, and it’s even implied that he enters this world of high crime to impress and keep her happy, buying her a wildly expensive engagement ring in an early scene. As with so many crime sagas, “The Counselor” hints at a world in which it is man’s desire to impress the women in their lives that leads to their greatest struggles.

This amazingly talented cast is rounded out by a charismatic turn from Brad Pitt as Westray, the coordinator of the drug deal that McCarthy and director Ridley Scott really only use as background. “The Counselor” is about a multi-million dollar shipment of drugs from Mexico to Chicago that goes very wrong. And yet that aspect of the script is really just background for discussions about crime, murder, sex, and, of course, greed. It is clearly McCarthy’s intent to leave the actual crime of the story incredibly vague and secondary to the people who get caught up in its repercussions. It’s not a crime saga as much as it is a story of the inevitable tragedy that will befall the people who enter this world of incredible violence.

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “The Counselor” review.

The Counselor
Photo credit: Fox Pictures