Ridley Scott is responsible for two of the greatest films in sci-fi history, Alien and Blade Runner, but he also directed 1492: Conquest of Paradise, Prometheus, and The Counselor. If you haven’t heard of that last one, you’re not alone. The 2013 crime thriller wasted an incredible cast with a lackluster plot that somehow includes Cameron Diaz having sex with a car. In context, it makes sense. Sort of.
A Normal Man In Way Over His Head
the counselor
The Counselor is a lawyer, played by Michael Fassbender, who gets in over his head with a Mexican cartel, when a drug deal goes bad thanks to the interference of Cameron Diaz’s Malkina. Between the rom-coms Bad Teacher and Sex Tape, Diaz’s performance as a femme fatale who will do anything to get what she wants sticks out as a wild choice. Malkina’s boyfriend, the drug dealer Reiner, played by a scenery-chewing Javier Bardem, invests in the drug deal, and also relates a story in the process to explain how insane Malkina is.
Javier Bardem Is A Changed Man In The Counselor Thanks To Cameron Diaz
Reiner talks about how Malkina drove his car to a remote spot and then climbed on top of the windshield, leaning in through the sunroof to kiss him. Who knows how many takes it took to get a good shot of Fassbender remaining stoic throughout as Bardem solemnly explains that an experience like the one he had that night changes a man. The Counselor may be a run-of-the-mill cartel film, but for that one moment, Ridley Scott’s insane directorial choice gets across how the Counselor has no clue what he’s involved with, how Reiner is terrified of Malkina, and how Malkina is an absolute wild card.
Reaction To The Counselor
Cameron Diaz Shows A Different Side In The Counselor
On paper, The Counselor should have been a hit with Fassbender at the top of his game, Cameron Diaz was one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, Ridley Scott was a legend, and even the supporting cast is filled with famous names and faces, including Penelope Cruz, Brad Pitt, Natalie Dormer, and John Leguizamo. Behind the scenes, it was written by Cormac McCarthy, which explains why it’s bleak and depressing throughout, with an ending that was inevitable from the opening moments.
The Counselor was rejected by audiences when it premiered in 2013 and was destroyed by Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. During its run, the film pulled in $71 million, surpassing its $25 million budget but falling short of expectations given the sheer amount of talent involved. As with most of Cormac McCarthy’s projects, reactions were divisive, and those who saw the film either loved it or hated it, with nothing in between
Over a decade later, The Counselor is ready to be reappraised beyond “the movie where Cameron Diaz has sex with a car.” It’s bold and daring, dark and depressing, and as with all of Ridley Scott’s films, it’s visually striking on top of everything else.
These days, it’s the type of R-rated film that would never be released in theaters and would instead be dumped onto a streaming service, if, of course, any studio would bankroll a film that takes a very stark view of what happens when a normal man goes against a Mexican cartel. It’s a film you have to see for yourself, as it’s either the worst movie Ridley Scott ever made, or secretly one of his best, but if nothing else, it’s a Cameron Diaz performance the likes of which you’ve never seen before.