Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brooding
- paranoid
- sensual
- late night viewing
- crime thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually polished and ambitiously literary but weighed down by overlong dialogue, a confusingly constructed story, and insufficient suspense.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Counselor enters a drug deal for financial gain, and the scheme progressively destroys his security and relationships.
The Counselor, Westray, Reiner, and other underworld figures discuss greed, fate, and criminal consequence in extended conversations.
The film places affluent lawyers, expensive clothing, jewelry, and seductive imagery against drug trafficking, murder, and criminal dread.
The Counselor’s personal decision becomes entangled with a wider trafficking network whose actors eliminate perceived threats.
Films like The Counselor, and why
No Country for Old Men
Shared crime thriller structure, morally compromised protagonists, drug trafficking, and bleak consequences.
Sicario
Shared literary crime storytelling, fatalistic violence, criminal underworld, and stark moral atmosphere.
Killing Them Softly
Shared stylish neo-noir crime world, doomed ambition, drug trafficking, and prominent philosophical dialogue.
Blood Simple
Shared ensemble crime thriller mode, corrosive greed, and an unforgiving descent into criminal catastrophe.
Movie Details
- Director
- Ridley Scott
- Release Date
- 2013-10-25
- Runtime
- 117 min
- Rating
- 5.3 / 10 (2039)
Cast
- Michael Fassbender
- Penélope Cruz
- Cameron Diaz
- Javier Bardem
- Brad Pitt
- Bruno Ganz
- Rosie Perez
- Sam Spruell
- Toby Kebbell
- Edgar Ramírez
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Counselor about?
- A prosperous lawyer’s attempt to profit from a drug deal spirals into a merciless neo-noir reckoning with greed, betrayal, and organized crime.
- What is The Counselor like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Counselor as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Counselor violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Counselor as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Counselor?
- Critics broadly found the film visually polished and ambitiously literary but weighed down by overlong dialogue, a confusingly constructed story, and insufficient suspense.
- Which films are like The Counselor?
- Films with a similar feel include No Country for Old Men, Sicario, Killing Them Softly, and Blood Simple.
- How long is The Counselor?
- The Counselor runs 117 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Counselor?
- In United States, The Counselor is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
