The Counselor

It's not the best Cormac McCarthy. Not by a wide margin. The main problem is the weak character development and superficial dialogue- sometimes intellectually interesting- but overall out of place in a crime action thriller. We never really get to know or even care enough about the main character. Not caring about the main character is something you can get away with in a novel, sometimes, but it's rarely acceptable in a feature film. If director Ridley Scott and his A-list cast can give more resonance and depth to the characters as scripted it will be an extraordinary achievement. Not impossible, because great actors can and ocassionally do transcend mediocre dialogue. But it's very rare. There's another bothersome issue.What's up with this killing device called a bolito? It's described in almost Popular Mechanics detail, again in explanatory dialogue, which could work in a novel but which never sounds plausible as a character's monologue. But apart from that, Ican't find any reference to such a lethal item, not on Google searches, nowhere.Does such a sadistic killing machine exist? The film is fiction, yes, but not ScienceFiction. Still despite all these reservations I'd see the film on the strength of the actors and director's names -on DVD of course. LP

The Counsellor is about a man who is driven by greed and agrees to enter into a drug deal with a cartel run by viciously violent drug lords. The deal goes south and the counsellor's world crashes down around him.This is the first screenplay I've ever read and it was an interesting experience. It didn't feel as disjointed as I thought it would but I think this story would have been better told in the traditional novel format. I say this because the theme of the book is 'Choice' and with such a theme you need to delve deep into the characters' psyches and backgrounds in order to understand their motives. It's almost impossible to do this in a screenplay. Another problem with the format is that the consequences of the consellor's choice never feel as serious as they should because the characters' actions and happenings in the book are described as they would be in an instruction manual.Despite not enjoying this read I still am a big fan of McCarthy's work because he is very good at using his character's dialogue as commentary on the human condition. His spartan use of language never leaves you wanting more and gives his writing a beautiful and unique rhythm and feel.

The book is better than the movie but they both are GREAT!!!

My favorite author. Only written about a dozen books. They are all great. I have all but one in hardback. Four have been made into movies. The Counselor is a screenplay for the movie. As usual, both the book and the movie omit none of the gore that is associated with McCarthy's writings. If your not a fan of the author, you probably won't enjoy the story. If you are a fan, it is too short to whet your appetite for a McCarthy saga.

Not what I expected - both the book and the movie paint vivid pictures of dancing with the devil while convincing oneself you're above being burnt.

It' a film script, not a novel. So you don't get the full Cormac McCarthy experience - his prose style is normally incomparable but the condensed nature of a script does not allow this full rein unfortunately.

A frightening glimpse into darkness.

I am sure the movie will be excellent, but the book is written as a screenplay, and not as a novel. Dissapointing....

THIS BOOK IS A SCRIPT FOR A PLAY, NOT A NOVEL. THIS SHOULD BE MENTIONED ON THE WEBSITE.

Nonostante le grandi aspettative, nulla si è acceso. Non lo consiglio, ne come storia, ne come sceneggiatura, ne come passatempo.

While watching the movie, not only the beautyof the actresses, but also the beauty of thedialogs impressed me. What made mebuy the book was the wish to reread thedialogs. The book makes the movie come backto one's imagination, but leaves you the timeto think about the dialogs.Great, I enjoyed it.

Cormac McCarthy did it again. I really feel attracted to his work. His way of making a story work. Also liked the not so tight movie. Give it a try.

Habe gedacht aus dem Buch bekommt man mehr Hintergrund Informationen zum Film. War leider nicht der fall.Schade.Film und Buch sind aus meiner Sicht in flop. also nicht kaufen