The Counselor

I had no idea what this movie was going to be about. All I knew was that it had Michael Fassbender and was directed by Ridley Scott, so I loved it already. What I was hoping for was a sleeper hit, a film that wouldn't get the most attention but would manage to fascinate me or at least keep me entertained, especially after Prometheus really won me over.

By the end of the movie, I was mildly satisfied. But man, it took a heck of a long time to get to an interesting story. It starts with a heck of a lot of exposition, a lot of character development used solely to get us to know the characters before the story really started. And each actor gives a solid performance throughout, even Cameron Diaz who I generally don't like (who is also FAR sexier than I ever remembered her being...yeah I'm really not her biggest fan). But I feel that great story telling doesn't need to spend so much time establishing characters outside the context of the tale. And this movie didn't take advantage of that much. It more often had extra scenes establishing character even between important moments. I guess it could work, but considering the movie's length, it didn't really work for me.

But then again, that's not Ridley Scott's fault. That's Cormac McArthy's fault. Ridley Scott gives the actors and cinematography fantastic direction. We're talking Fassbender's third best performance I can remember. Yes third, I'm sorry but Prometheus and Shame have to top it. Javier Bardem plays an awesomely egotistical and money obsessed jerk. Cameron Diaz plays a delightfully twisted but irresistibly sexy crazy woman. Brad Pitt plays...well, kindof himself. But he's a good lookin dude, I can handle it.

So that all being said, I liked the Counselor for it's story. Rotten Tomatoes complains that it's a bit wordy, but I didn't really have a problem with the dialogue heavy script. I can imagine that in the real world, more words are exchanged than actual gunfire between the higher-ups of the cartel. What did bother me was the amount of time it took to get there. It was incredibly dull. At the point the movie shows Fassbender and Cruz engaged, it's maybe 10 or 15 minutes in, and we're supposed to care. Not to mention it's kindof a dead giveaway that one of them is going to die, like the reveal of someone about to retire, or someone who's survived so many near death experiences. I dozed off a bit during the exposition, and still had no problem understanding the story.

Let me be honest - I found a lot to enjoy in this movie. But I don't think many other people will. Maybe this is the rare movie to rent or get on netflix, and maybe take two nights to watch. But I can't say I recommend it to general movie watchers. It's heavy, and not exactly viewer friendly.

Rank - 3/5