Release Date: October 25, 2013
MPAA Rating: R for graphic violence, some grisly images, strong sexual content and language
Cast: Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, and Cameron Diaz
Run Time: 111 Minutes
“The Counselor”, which opens for wide release today, is a star studded drama-thriller that promises to captivate audiences with an array of twists and turns around every action packed corner. The only problem? It simply doesn’t deliver. Not even a little bit.
Michael Fassbender plays the Counselor and all we learn about him is that he cries a lot. Like, all the time. We never learn his backstory and he never really becomes a real character. In fact, none of the characters are developed with any kind of complexity or subtlety. There are very few thrills to be found for a supposed thriller, the plot is difficult to follow, and there is ultimately very little payoff.
Even the soundtrack was obvious and distracting. A good action movie soundtrack enhances the action without calling attention to itself. In this movie the music is repeatedly used as a cue to let you know something is about to happen. It is a clunky and redundant device that did nothing to enhance the movie going experience.
The problem with big expectations is that they can lead to big disappointments, and this movie was truly disappointing. It was as if the writers had a couple of smart philosophical quotes in mind and tried to find a way to wrap a movie around it. The end result was a muddled and confusing mess that I would not recommend spending your money on.
As always…On my scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is the worst, 5 is always the best, and 10 is the worst again, I give “The Counselor” a 1.25 with an emoticon based sub ranking of: HUH?! Don’t bother…
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