THE COUNSELOR is a film which is made up of a great many
pieces and parts. It is directed by the legendary Sir Ridley Scott, written by
Pulitzer-prize winning author (and legend in his own right), Cormac McCarthy,
and has a cast of well-received and experienced actors. In the end, the film is
proof that acquiring all of those great pieces and parts isn’t enough; you have
to put them together correctly and effectively.
The counselor (Michael Fassbender), in an effort to support
his fiancé (Penelope Cruz), gets into the drug-running business with long-time
Cartel hombres (Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, and Cameron Diaz). Things get deadly
for the counselor when a large shipment is mysteriously stolen…
THE COUNSELOR is a simple story of a man who just makes a
bad decision when his back is up against the wall. In need of cash, the
counselor sees dollar signs in the world of drug-running to save his ass. Unfortunately,
the film gets completely lost in its own script. Scene after scene is composed
of characters sitting around waxing philosophical musings about love, sex,
money, and religion…reciting convoluted dialogue that no real human being would
ever say outside of a classroom and dragging out scenes endlessly. The story of
the film vanishes over and over again as scenes go nowhere with no point, and
worse, nearly every scene seems to exist in its own world and has nearly no
connection to the previous one. It’s dull, un-interesting, and intolerable to
sit through. The characters may recite some interesting points about life and
love, but it doesn’t do shit for storytelling. It’s a narrative disaster.
Characters are developed well enough only because they spend
so much time sitting (or laying) around telling us about themselves. It’s a
clear case of telling and not showing, and it’s difficult to connect with
anybody. The directing of Sir Ridley Scott doesn’t improve the slog we have to
sit through; although there are a few beautiful moments to look at, it overall
feels very un-inspired.
Acting isn’t terrible, but isn’t great either. Michael
Fassbender gets most of the work and does well, including an outburst of
emotion near the end which is unexpected and executed nicely. Brad Pitt is a
waste of space and seems to exist only to look snazzy on the screen, and
Penelope Cruz isn’t around enough to make much of an impression. Cameron Diaz
doesn’t add much and is just around to fill a hole, which she does just fine.
THE COUNSELOR finally picks up some speed in the third act;
giving you hope that there may be something to salvage. Just when things pick
up momentum, however, the film abruptly ends without offering resolution to any
character or plot point. On top of everything else, exactly what involvement
the main character has to the drug-running is never once mentioned; a terrible
omission which leaves a large hole in what is apparently supposed to be a
character-driven movie. Ultimately THE COUNSELOR is a collection of great
pieces and parts which are not even assembled together, but thrown in a bucket
and kicked across the floor.
BOTTOM LINE: Fuck it
No comments:
Post a Comment
A few rules:
1. Personal attacks not tolerated.
2. Haters welcome, if you can justify it.
3. Swearing is goddamn OK.