The Counsellor

**
Release Date: November 15th 2013

A lawyer finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking.

Director: Ridley Scott (Prometheus, American Gangster, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, Blade Runner, Alien)

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt

Now, I think we're all expecting something great for such a legendary director as Ridley Scott. This is not the case, as The Counsellor is not one of his better works.

As explained above the storyline should be simple to follow. In some cases it is easy to grasp, but it's the delivery that's confusing and cryptic. Michael Fassbender goes by the Counsellor, a corrupt lawyer who works for Reiner (Bardem) and his cunning other half, Malkina (Diaz). Her love for cheetah's (there's definitely a double meaning here) is expressed through her pets and crazy tattoo.

The Counsellor has proposed to girlfriend Laura (Cruz) but she is unaware of how much the ring she now possesses, or where the money has come from to pay for it.

The Counsellor takes an age to kick off, as the film spends a third of its duration introducing and setting up the characters, with the occasional cut to unknown Mexicans obviously trafficking drugs over the Mexican-Texas border. What happens later on is double-cross after another which inevitably leads to it being the Counsellor's fault. With the help from Westray (Brad Pitt), he does... not very much.

In his situation it's expected of him to either escape, or fight back. Instead we have a very whimsical protagonist that expects help from others and proposes to speak to the drug owners to make them understand. What unfolds around him is a delight to watch, even if it's gruesome.

The writer Cormac McCarthy's previous work was No Country for Old Men, a Coen Brothers film that also stars Javier Bardem, that leaves little room to breath, and has the most unforgettable performances. The Counsellor is similar in that respect but not for the same reasons. Every bit of monologue is a riddle. The odd one now and then works well, but the whole script is tiresome.

Overview: The acting is strong throughout, the ending bleak but unique. Whether you like it or not, it's better going in to this with what to expect.