A lawyer finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking.A lawyer finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking.A lawyer finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking.
- Awards
- 5 wins & 3 nominations
Cesar Aguirre
- Truck Driver #1
- (as César Aguirre)
Daniel Holguín
- Truck Driver #2
- (as Daniel Holguin)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMichael Fassbender agreed to star in this as part of a two-picture deal. The next film would not be a sequel; instead the studio would fund his Assassin's Creed (2016) project.
- GoofsWhen the Counselor is in his car, on the phone with the Cartel lawyer, the mobile phone is upside down.
- Alternate versionsThe 'Unrated Extended Cut' is 20 minutes longer than the 'Theatrical Cut'(117 min.) and runs nearly 138 minutes. It features new scenes, extended scenes and a little alternative footage. Some scenes are extended substantially, for example the philosophical dialogue between the Counselor and the Diamond Dealer and between the Counselor and the Cartel Leader. In this version the Diamond Dealer is characterized as a Sephardic Jew from Spain with a tragic past involving a deceased woman. The Cartel Leader's extended monologue gains nearly apocalyptic qualities. The sex scene at the beginning is longer and contains stronger sexual activity from Laura. The sexually ambiguous relationship between Laura and Malkina is explored deeper in an additional scene. Reiner tells more anecdotes about his former girlfriends, friends and what he 'learned' about women. The dialogue scenes with Westray contain more details about the unpredictable dangers of the drug trade. The notorious death scene of Westray is extended and more graphic. The 'Unrated Extended Cut' contains in general more profanity and sexual references than the R-rated 'Theatrical Cut'.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #22.15 (2013)
- SoundtracksTheory of Fudu (Diego Iglesias Mix)
Written and Arranged by Jonathan Miguez Vazquez
Performed by John Axiom
Courtesy of Liquid Grooves
Featured review
The Counselor (Michael Fassbender) is a defense lawyer with questionable friends like Reiner (Javier Bardem). Reiner is a brash club owner living a lavish lifestyle and introduces the Counselor to drug trafficker Westray (Brad Pitt). The Counselor proposes to girlfriend Laura (Penélope Cruz). Reiner's woman Malkina (Cameron Diaz) is wild and outrageous. Meanwhile the drug cartel is transporting drugs in an old liquid waste tank truck. The Counselor has a client Ruth (Rosie Perez) in prison. Her son is connected to the drugs and he bails him out of a speeding ticket. Then things go terribly wrong.
I don't know what Cormac McCarthy wrote but what director Ridley Scott put on the screen is a mess. None of the four main characters are compelling. Fassbender projects no emotions. Bardem is way over the top still with a bit of Bond villain in him. Diaz is at least interesting, but Cruz is lost in this innocent sweet character. Brad Pitt comes in for a nice cameo. The story feels disjointed. There are bits of great ideas dispersed throughout the movie. However the bits don't add up to a compelling movie. All the A-list stars step on each other. It needs a grittier dirtier style to make this realistic and exciting. The action comes in a little too late. And Fassbender's coolness works against him here.
I don't know what Cormac McCarthy wrote but what director Ridley Scott put on the screen is a mess. None of the four main characters are compelling. Fassbender projects no emotions. Bardem is way over the top still with a bit of Bond villain in him. Diaz is at least interesting, but Cruz is lost in this innocent sweet character. Brad Pitt comes in for a nice cameo. The story feels disjointed. There are bits of great ideas dispersed throughout the movie. However the bits don't add up to a compelling movie. All the A-list stars step on each other. It needs a grittier dirtier style to make this realistic and exciting. The action comes in a little too late. And Fassbender's coolness works against him here.
- SnoopyStyle
- Apr 22, 2014
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- El abogado del crimen
- Filming locations
- El Paso, Texas, USA(Second Unit shots, some exteriors)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $25,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $16,973,715
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $7,842,930
- Oct 27, 2013
- Gross worldwide
- $71,009,334
- Runtime1 hour 57 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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