In general I try to avoid what other critics have to say
about a film before I see it. Sometimes I have a general idea of the critical
consensus, but in the case of The
Counselor I knew nothing. I was shocked to find that the majority of
critics had ripped it apart. It would have been surprising enough only for the
fact that it was directed by Ridley Scott from an original screenplay by
novelist Cormac McCarthy (his first produced). McCarthy is, after all, one of
the greatest contemporary fiction writers in America. It also features a
phenomenal cast of highly capable actors. Mostly my disbelief registered so
high because I thought The Counselor
was just wonderful, exemplifying the very best of what McCarthy accomplishes in
his novels.
