"The Counselor" brings the intensity to the Mexican mafia movie.

DVD or Streaming Review: “The Counselor”

 

              

 

“The Counselor” is Cormac McCarthy’s first original screenplay. If one is familiar with Mr. McCarthy’s fiction they will see a familiar theme of mortality surrounding man’s relationship with evil and violence as an accessory. His novel “No Country for Old Men” dealt with choices individuals make and the evil that walks this planet. His novel was underlined with philosophical themes that did not surface in the Coen brothers’ film of the same name. Mr. McCarthy’s novel “Blood Meridian” dealt with man’s relationship with violence and is considered so violent that it is unfilmable. “The Counselor” may not be as violent as “Blood Meridian” but the threat remains under the surface, creating a tension that lasts throughout the movie.

               The character whose name graces the title is played by Michael Fassbender. He is the so called counselor to a night club owner, Reiner, played with relish (is there any other way he plays a part) by Javier Bardem. Needing the extra cash they invest in a drug deal with a middle man Westray (Brad Pitt) on which they expect a large return. One of the ironies of the film is that there is not one time in which The Counselor gives any counsel. He gets plenty and it’s all good, especially when he is advised to stay away from the deal. But his lavish lifestyle has put him beyond his means and the purchase of a three-and-a-half carat engagement diamond for his girlfriend (Penelope Cruz) has pushed him forward.

              

               The story of the mob in film during the twentieth century has revolved around the Italian mob specifically. So far, in the early part of this century, it would be safe to say that the Mexican cartels have usurped the Italians. “The Counselor” looks and feels as though Mr. Scott and Mr. McCarthy have set out to make the first classic Mexican Cartel mafia movie for this century. Mr. McCarthy has underlined the threat of violence with a philosophy that doesn’t exactly rise to the level of “The Godfather’s” “I’m going to make him and offer he can’t refuse,” or “It was only business.” In “The Counselor” we are told to find imperfections in everything, including so called perfectly cut diamonds, and that grief does not have value even though it does change the griever’s view of the world. These philosophical excursions add a depth to “The Counselor” and their scenes hold interest since the messengers are the wily veterans Bruno Ganz and Ruben Blades. The problem with “The Counselor,” however, is that there are too many pieces missing and some pieces that should have been left out.

 

The movie has three different stories going simultaneously. The first is The Counselor’s story and why he puts his money into the investment. The second is the oil truck whose voyage from Mexico to the United States carries the destinies of all the major players in it. And the third is about Reiner’s girlfriend, Malkina (Cameron Diaz), who, after being called cold for telling Reiner that she doesn’t miss someone when their dead because they’re not coming back, tells him truth doesn’t come in a temperature. Truth may not come in a temperature but her heart has no need to fear global warming.

               The strength of the movie lies in the traveling gas truck. It looks as though it couldn’t make it around the corner never mind across the border but that’s the point since it’s a camouflage for its contents. It’s an ominous presence in a film and leaves a lot of dead bodies in its wake. Who is driving it also plays to what happens to the counselor and the people he’s involved with. The truck moves the story.

               Malkina is the other asset to the film. She is cold and cunning and the smartest person in the room. That’s what makes her scary. Mr. McCarthy seems to have written her to show the evolution of women in mob movies. Malkina is no mob wife or mistress. She is the brains and the men around her are not as smart as she and they know it. She still has the sex appeal which at one time was the only quality women needed to have. One problem that diverts from the story is that Mr. McCarthy tries too hard to show that women can love sex while also being smart, powerful and ambitious as hell.

               Malkina’s character grows more menacing as the film plays but Mr. Fassbender’s Counselor is a washout. When the news comes to him that the manure has hit the fan he is like a deer in the headlights, withoutany resources to escape or plans to disrupt his imminent demise. Every report of bad news brings a meltdown. Watching him sink toward his obvious fate drains the drama out of “The Counselor.” But that could be the point. The Mexican cartel is so vast and organized –  structurally and technically –  that once things go bad there is nothing really to do but cry. Giving the counselor no options makes the Mexican cartels even more dreadful.

               Mr. Scott would have served “The Counselor” better with more precise editing. There are scenes in the movie that should not be there. Not only do they disrupt the building dread but they serve no purpose. And just as distracting are characters who seemed smart in the first half of the movie only to walk into traps that are obvious a mile away.

               Mr. Scott gives “The Counselor” a great look and Mr. McCarthy floats some wisdom throughout the doomsday tale. They did not hit their mark of making a classic but they did open a window into an organization that will be one of the major menaces of the twenty-first century.

Directed by Ridley Scott; written by Cormac McCarthy; director of photography, Dariusz Wolski; edited by Pietro Scalia; music by Daniel Pemberton; production design by Arthur Max; costumes by Janty Yates; produced by Mr. Scott, Nick Wechsler, Steve Schwartz and Paula Mae Schwartz; released by 20th Century Fox. Running time: 1 hour 51 minutes.

WITH: Michael Fassbender (the Counselor), Penélope Cruz (Laura), Cameron Diaz (Malkina), Javier Bardem (Reiner) and Brad Pitt (Westray).