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
Was so very reluctant to go see this due to the amount of extremely negative reviews, glad I didn't listen.
Like all of you I was drawn to the writer, director & cast combination which told me this film had a chance at greatness, well I'm not so sure about greatness but this is a very good movie, one which both my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed.
The plot is secondary, only the story outline is necessary ("honest citizen" buys into a onetime drug deal which goes bad and there are serious consequences) to act as a framework around the events that unfold. We do not need details of who, what , where or when regarding the drug deal, we only need to see the greed and the evil it leads to, play out.
Yes the dialogue is metaphorical, gloriously so, and the actors deliver this as it was intended to be delivered by the writer and the director. This dialogue is superb in setting the ominous tone for the film, we do not need to know who is picking up what and delivering to whom, we only need to know that it didn't happen and somebody has to pay, pay a price beyond imagining! While there are moments of amusement, it is a deadly serious morality tale that does not play out to our long established preconceptions. Decisions today can make for impossible decisions and terrifying consequences tomorrow.
Do not judge, rate or review this film within the traditional confines of typical Hollywood movies, as it barely applies, maybe it does to the star power but not to the content nor the execution.
I really cannot wait to see this movie again, I give this an 8/10.
Like all of you I was drawn to the writer, director & cast combination which told me this film had a chance at greatness, well I'm not so sure about greatness but this is a very good movie, one which both my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed.
The plot is secondary, only the story outline is necessary ("honest citizen" buys into a onetime drug deal which goes bad and there are serious consequences) to act as a framework around the events that unfold. We do not need details of who, what , where or when regarding the drug deal, we only need to see the greed and the evil it leads to, play out.
Yes the dialogue is metaphorical, gloriously so, and the actors deliver this as it was intended to be delivered by the writer and the director. This dialogue is superb in setting the ominous tone for the film, we do not need to know who is picking up what and delivering to whom, we only need to know that it didn't happen and somebody has to pay, pay a price beyond imagining! While there are moments of amusement, it is a deadly serious morality tale that does not play out to our long established preconceptions. Decisions today can make for impossible decisions and terrifying consequences tomorrow.
Do not judge, rate or review this film within the traditional confines of typical Hollywood movies, as it barely applies, maybe it does to the star power but not to the content nor the execution.
I really cannot wait to see this movie again, I give this an 8/10.
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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