The Counselor (2013)

Film: The Counselor (2013)
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Rosie Perez
Director: Ridley Scott
Oscar History: No nominations
Snap Judgment Ranking: Who the hell knows-I could make an argument of anywhere between 1-4 stars, but unlike other reviewers I think that you should catch it, though in a Netflix rental so you can't say I just took your $10.

That cast-it kept haunting me.  Seriously-I saw Fassy, Cruz, Bardem, Pitt, Diaz on the list of actors that were in this movie, and I thought "it can't be that bad, can it?"  I mean, Ridley Scott doesn't usually make terrible pictures.  And while the credits rolled, aside from of course the brilliant Cormac McCarthy, I saw Oscar winners Pietro Scalia and Janty Yates amongst the behind-the-scenes talent.  It couldn't be that bad, right?  I kept thinking the film would end up being another Killing Them Softly where I adore it while the world hates it.

(Spoilers Ahead) And now that I'm done with the film, I'm left with a "huh" in response.  If ever I were to put a question mark in the snap judgment ranking (I always fill that in at the end, as the writing shifts my perspective on a film), it would be for this film.  The movie, from what plot there is, is about a man who never gets a real name, but just goes as the Counselor (Fassbender) who has gotten in over his head.  For years he's flirted with the criminal underworld, and now, out of sheer greed or necessity (money troubles are hinted at throughout the film), he has decided to help execute a major drug shipment for his friend Reiner (Bardem) and in conjunction with another associate, Westray (Pitt).  For the first twenty minutes he thinks things will go well, as he's also engaged to a beautiful woman named Laura (Cruz), but anyone worth his salt can see that he's signed a contract with the devil, and surely is about to lose his soul.

The question is in the how, and while I knew that the Counselor's fate was sealed the moment he entered the world, the question remained, "who was the true puppet master and who could come out on the other end with the $20 million worth of drugs."  The interesting thing about the Counselor is that there's little interest toward him.  He spends his days with colorful men like Westray, Reiner, and Reiner's girlfriend Malkina (Diaz, in a performance that takes the femme fatale stereotype and injects it with heroin), but he seems so foolish.  That may have been the thing that made people dislike the movie upon first review-it's hard to believe that someone could be so dumb, but let's be honest-we meet idiotic people in real life all the time.  Money blinds us all, or so someone probably said in the film.

Because the other thing that makes this film treacherous is that McCarthy doesn't know how to translate his words from the brilliant, verse-laden prose of a novel into believable speak for the silver screen.  It's worth noting that the perfect No Country for Old Men was not adapted by McCarthy, but instead by the Coen Brothers.  Particularly at the beginning of the film, you can feel the dialogue looking so good in text on your Kindle, but clearly not spelling out properly on-the-screen (I noticed it particularly when people refused to use contractions).

The film, though, is fascinating to watch, even if it's in a bad movie sort of way.  While the symbolism is broad (the fates of Pitt's and Cruz's characters being spelled out far earlier in the film, though in the latter's case it still feels like one of the cruelest scenes put to screen this year), it doesn't stop it from being occasionally entertaining.  Aside from the sheer wickedness of Cruz's fate, every scene with Pitt and Diaz is bubbling with overacting charm and in this reviewer's opinion, fun.  I didn't get what the hell was going on with Bardem, but I fell for Diaz's mysterious woman even though it's pretty darn anti-feminist (or pro-feminist in that she ends up the champion at the end of the movie, depending on your reading).  And Pitt's character, the voice of reason even if he makes one fatal mistake he should have seen coming (though he does of course admit his weakness earlier in the movie-again, broad strokes), invites us in with a level of charm and actual intelligence.  Pitt is so good so often these days this is likely just taken for granted, but could someone please give Diaz something that critics can latch onto-she can play the villain again, but that woman has star power to the max and deserves a bit more respect (or at least an Oscar nomination after coming so close before).

Those were my thoughts-what were yours (for those who saw it)?  Did anyone enjoy Diaz or Pitt (or any of the other characters)?  Which death scene was the grossest?  Who else thought that DVD scene with Fassy was so cruel?  Share in the comments!