At the same time as he asks the woman (Penélope Cruz) he loves to marry him, a counselor (Michael Fassbender) also gets involved in a drug deal with dire consequences. Cormac McCarthy’s first original screenplay combined with Ridley Scott’s considerable filmmaking skills should have been dynamite, especially considering No Country for Old Men (2007). What we got instead was a poorly plotted, ponderous yet tedious thriller that seems to loathe its characters. One bizarre highlight: Cameron Diaz having sex with a Ferrari.
2013-U.S. 117 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Ridley Scott. Screenplay: Cormac McCarthy. Cast: Michael Fassbender (The Counselor), Penélope Cruz (Laura), Cameron Diaz (Malkina), Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Rosie Perez… Édgar Ramirez, Bruno Ganz, Rúben Blades, Natalie Dormer, Goran Visnjic. Cameo: John Leguizamo.
Trivia: Also released in a 138-min. cut. Angelina Jolie was first cast as Malkina; Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner were allegedly considered for Bardem’s role.
