"The Counselor" is a 2013 crime thriller film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Cormac McCarthy. The film revolves around a lawyer known only as "the Counselor" who gets involved in a drug deal along the troubled Mexico/Texas border. This leads to a nightmarish scenario with extremely violent and bloodthirsty activities of drug cartels. The film explores themes of greed, death, and consequences. The movie has a dark and menacing tone. "The Counselor" was released on October 25, 2013. As of February 2026, it is available for streaming on Fandango at Home, Netflix, and Prime Video.
- Director: Ridley Scott
- Screenwriter: Cormac McCarthy
- Michael Fassbender as The Counselor
- Penélope Cruz as Laura
- Cameron Diaz as Malkina
- Javier Bardem as Reiner
- Brad Pitt as Westray
- Rosie Perez as Ruth
"The Counselor" received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 34%, based on 217 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. The site's consensus reads, "The Counselor raises expectations with its talented cast and creative crew—then subverts them with a wordy and clumsy suspense thriller that's mercilessly short on suspense or thrills". Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 48 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D" on an A+ to F scale. The film grossed $71 million worldwide against a production budget of $25 million.
The official trailer for "The Counselor" can be found on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2zJE9YJNKU
Viewers who enjoyed "The Counselor" might also appreciate:
- No Country for Old Men: Another crime thriller written by Cormac McCarthy, known for its bleak and suspenseful atmosphere.
- Traffic: A film that explores the complex world of drug trafficking from various perspectives.
