Review of The Counselor (2013) by Tocus T — 22 Jul 2014

I was expecting a lot more then what was delivered in the finished product. It contained such an awesome cast, and of course the director Ridley Scott whom never fails to disappoint. Yet somehow with all this talent behind and in front of the camera, I was left feeling that all that talent was wasted.

The film isn't bad by any means, it's just not as good as it should be. The writing was on point, mostly every scene was scripted with rich dialogue. The cinematographer did his best by creating what little suspense that the film does have, by using camera tricks such as zooming in and out in certain key scenes to try to create tension.

Even with this recipe for success, the film feels disjointed, full of plot holes, and the scene locations feel sporadic without full explanation of how the characters arrived there. The film never really feels connected, it's full of those kind of scenes where you ask yourself how and why is that character there especially if they were just in a scene that has nothing to do or connect in any way to the scene they are currently in.

I see that Ridley Scott (the director) was attempting to deliver a smooth, suspenseful, and awesome thriller. Instead he delivered a clunky puzzle with missing pieces which leaves the viewer wondering what's going on at times, who is whom in the film, and what their motives are.

Ultimately the film is ambiguous about the specifics.