The Counselor

When was the last great Ridley Scott movie?  I'm not talking about a really good movie like Kingdom of Heaven (the extended director's cut) or American Gangster.  I'm not even talking about a fairly good movie like Matchstick Men.  Ridley Scott is one of the greatest directors of the last 40 years.  So what was the last truly great movie from Ridley Scott?  It's Black Hawk Down back in 2001!  Most of his output since then has been an interesting mess.  Y2K must've struck Mr. Scott especially hard.

The Counselor is an interesting mess about an unnamed lawyer who willingly decides to participate in a drug deal.  Despite warnings about the ruthlessness of the drug cartels if things don't go right, he proceeds with his plan.  Things don't go right.

Ridley Scott takes more than a couple pages from his dearly departed brother's playbook (I miss you Tony!) for this movie.  The movie is filmed in various shades of orange with an intense chiaroscuro lighting especially on characters' faces.  That coupled with Ridley's gritty sensibilities and always flawless art direction make The Counselor an extremely attractive movie.  The pacing could've been faster which is crazy to say because a lot happens in this movie, but for the most part, the problems this movie has are all script related which is equally crazy to say because Cormac McCarthy wrote this movie.

Cormac McCarthy is one of America's greatest living authors but that talent did not transfer well to screenwriting.  The dialogue is awkward.  The story is a vague jumble of events.  I think Ridley Scott and his cast did their absolute best (Cameron Diaz is excellent in this movie) but could not elevate this material.

There's so much awesome stuff happening in The Counselor and so many great actors that it's weird to have to say that the movie is mostly boring.  Of Ridley Scott's interesting mess movies, The Counselor is definitely the worst.  It's not like watching a train wreck per se; it's more like coming across an old rusty car in a field and wondering how it got there... for two hours.

4.5 out of 5