By ANDY GILCHRIST
Crime is not glamorous. It’s not like on TV, where, with skill and determination, a man can rise up and control the underworld in a short span of time. Where a retired crimelord counts his money on a throne and lives in a mansion that’s acres large. The life of a criminal is dirty, bloody, and the most dangerous there is. Those who cannot understand this, who think they are exempt from or above the danger, will be hurt or killed. They will lose everything.
The new film The Counselor shows this in unsettling detail. Though it boasts an impressive award-winning cast, it’s, quite frankly, not a very commercial film. It shows the violent real-life implications of entering the drug business and pulls no punches doing it. Those looking for a happy ending should look elsewhere. The film is not perfect, stumbling a bit with dialogue and direction, but The Counselor is a slow-burn drama that builds to a tragic and perhaps unfair ending. But it should not be unexpected.
The film follows an unnamed lawyer, always referred to as The Counselor (Michael Fassbender), who decides to go in on a drug deal when his money problems get out of control. When the film opens, he has already set up a one-time, $20 million deal with an associate named Reiner (Javier Bardem). The Counselor hopes to use this money, presumably, to retire and live happily with his new fiancée, Laura (Penelope Cruz).
Also in the mix are Malkina (Cameron Diaz), Reiner’s girlfriend who appears to be an overly sexual bimbo, but is actually the most dangerous character in the film. There’s also Westray (Brad Pitt), a middleman between Reiner and the cartel. Westray requests a meeting before the deal goes down and does everything he can to get The Counselor to understand the consequences of what is about to happen. But The Counselor thinks he is untouchable.
A fatal mistake. The film cuts between The Counselor’s hubris and a truck carrying hundreds of bricks of product across the border. Inevitably, the shipment is stolen. The cartel has lost a lot of money. The Counselor, the new man in the equation, is blamed. He and everyone connected to him have targets on their backs. His life goes straight to Hell. A dark, dingy, nightmarish Hell.
The Counselor has been widely publicized for being the first screenplay by Pulitzer-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy, author of such acclaimed novels as No Country for Old Men, The Road, and Blood Meridian. Together with legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott and an A-list cast, it seemed as though the film had all the ingredients for an awards-season hit.
But it’s obvious that McCarthy is a much better novelist than screenwriter. His script is filled with long speeches and rich symbolism, but these elements are better suited for a book than a screenplay. Because of this, Scott’s voice struggles to be heard in the film. It’s clear he feels constricted by the material and lashes out only in the more violent and exciting scenes, leading to an uneven tone. Since his last few films (Body of Lies, Robin Hood, Prometheus) have been hit-or-miss, detractors of the film will use this as proof that Scott has lost his way. But this is simply a case of a bad writer and director collaboration.
But storywise, the film is brilliant, poetic even. It reintroduces the audience to the timeless theme of the man greedy for power and follows him through disastrous events to his depressing end. The Counselor is unnamed throughout the film because he represents the everyman: foolishly confident that he is the smartest man in the room who can control the situation and thrive immediately. At the beginning of the film, he is the audience. But this isn’t Breaking Bad and he isn’t Walter White. He’s just a normal man in a foreign situation. This is the real world, where people die for one mistake and everyone around them pays the price.
Another theme that is prevalent throughout the film is men vs. women. Early in the film, several male characters talk badly about women in dialogue that borders on misogyny. “Women are crazy,” “women only care about money,” and “never trust a woman” are the rules of the film’s first hour. Cameron Diaz’s character, Malkina, seems to perfectly showcase these beliefs. Reiner doesn’t trust her and seems to only keep her around because she’s constantly throwing her body at him. An unforgettable scene with a yellow sports car appears to drive this home.
But the film actually makes a case for the falseness of male chauvinism. Men may claim to be in control of the situation, but they’re ultimately just greedy people and all they seem to do is shoot each other and go nowhere. Women have the true power, moving pieces across the board and staying out of the way of the violence that is created. In the end, it is a woman who walks away triumphant while the men are crumpled and bloody on the floor.
One common complaint that many viewers are sure to come away with is that the film is too confusing and vague. Indeed, it’s never specifically stated what the specifics of the drug deal are, how The Counselor knows Reiner, who Westray works for, what forces are battling over the drugs, or even what happens to all the characters in the end. The film lacks explanation and exposition because it’s mostly from The Counselor’s perspective. He’s caught up in the madness of the situation he’s created and since there are times where he has no idea what’s going on, neither can the audience. The confusion audiences may have is intentional because in the world of the international drug trade, no one ever knows everything.
The Counselor depicts an average man who thinks he can thrive in the world of drug trafficking. It paints a disturbing picture of that world and the consequences of entering it, which is likely to turn many viewers away. But for those strong enough to stomach the violence and its gloomy ending, it is a film full of complex themes, strong acting, and real-world emotion. Ultimately, this is a film that demands to be seen.
