Review of The Counselor (2013) by Alex R — 12 Jul 2014

The Counselor had all the makings of a fine dramatic thriller, great cast, fine director, interesting premise, yet the result is underwhelming. I didn't think the film was awful like so many other viewers, but I felt that the film overall was overall bland, and it tried to be far too ambitious without exploring its ideas to the fullest, leaving a lot to be desired.

The first half of the film I thought was very good, interesting and had enough for a great set up, but the second half, that's where things fall apart. I felt that during the film's second hour, the film was all over the place, and after a while, you simply lost interest and that's a shame because with the amount of talent involved, this film should really have been something great.

The film's biggest problem is that the film's script is underdeveloped and there are far too many ideas that simply don't come to fruition. The Counselor could have been an engaging thriller, but it ends up being a mediocre film, despite a strong start.

Don't go into this one expecting a good film, you'll sadly be disappointed, as this film never satisfies and it ends up being a waste of time. I love Ridley Scott, and he is one of my favorite directors, however here, he struck his first dud in many years, and that's saying something.

Despite the talent involved here, the overall execution of the film is poor, and it leaves you wanting more out of the film. The idea was great, and it had the potential of being truly something impressive, but that was not to be.

The Counselor doesn't thrill, enthrall or entertain, it just lingers for two hours with a two many wasted ideas stuck in a poorly held together screenplay that should definitely Have been reworked a bit more before the cameras started rolling.