Cartel

La cruauté sous une couche d’élégance dans un film qui oppose le monde ostensiblement vêtu d’un avocat véreux versé dans l’innocence féminine à l’enfer des cartels mexicains. La façon dont Ridley traite ce conflit ne se base pas sur l’action, mais plutôt sur les dialogues. Il ne joue pas sur l'émotion, mais plutôt sur l'intellect, voire le côté philosophique. Les motivations des personnages ne sont que suggérées, et ce sont l'anticipation des réactions – ambiguës – de ceux-ci et l'évolution des situations tendues qui sont les moteurs du film. L'aspect philosophique ne fonctionne pas vraiment, mais j'ai apprécié la grâce des acteurs et des visuels. Si l'intrigue avait été plus nettement structurée, je lui aurais mis quatre étoiles. La scène avec Cameron en grand écart faisant la ventouse sur le pare-brise est inoubliable. Un plaisir coupable dans la superficialité. (23/12/2013)

The Counselor is a delightfully funny, sexy, meditative, gory, and intelligent film, and for me, one of the most modern of the 21st century. The style, elegance and extravagance of the film shines through. It is also worth mentioning the very solid cast, which features all of my favourite actors. Spoiler: the scene where Cameron Diaz fucks Javier Bardem's car and Brad Pitt's disarming here definitely the biggest highlights of the film! Action 4/10, Suspense 5/10, Gore 7/10, Story 7/10, Atmosphere 6/10. (02/03/2014)

Brad Pitt plays a bastard, Michael Fassbender plays a bastard, Javier Bardem is both a pervert and a bastard. Penelope Cruz is good, especially in the beginning, but on the other hand she is not there that much. Cameron Diaz plays such a bitch that it made me sick. Nevertheless, all the acting performances are great, I just don’t really know who to focus on in order for the movie to appear at least a little bit likeable. This way it is Ridley Scott’s most unpleasant movie for me, and it doesn’t matter that it has an interesting story when I’m not able to enjoy it with these actors. (21/06/2014)

Or: how the best living oversees writer and the best living British director didn’t really see eye to eye in matters of art. Each of them does their own thing regardless of the other. And so Cormac rolls out all the screenwriters’ tricks ignoring the purely symbolic metaphorical and existential level which is full of ambiguous characters, holding up mirrors, hidden motivations and declamations seemingly about nothing, but in reality about redemption, damnation, the (im)possibility to choose and predestination and its thriller storyline represents just a necessary (but smarter and more true to life than it might have seem), all connecting excuse. The other one concentrates on what makes sense from the genre film making point of view and so he doesn’t care about the characters, the message, let alone the symbolism of the movie. The result is so unique, peculiar and well casted (apart from that one exception that breaks the rule... Yes, I’m talking to you Cameron) that in some circles it’s on its way to becoming a cult movie and for rest it’s doomed to remain misunderstood, damned and heading the Razzies. (27/11/2013)

I will not stoop to commenting on the senility of Ridley Scott, because there are plenty of users aping similar big-mouthed statements from foreign reviews about last year's Prometheus. That said, it is still true that I am quite disappointed. Not that Ridley forgot how to direct – but that he is simply unrecognizable in The Counselor. It is all just Cormac McCarthy's self-absorbed screenplay, materialized into lazily rolling dialogues, framed by a pretty good side plot and very inconsistently cast. While Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt carry everything, Cameron Diaz turns out to be a casting misstep unlike any I can remember. Every gesture or word feels forced and wooden, making all the smaller positives (the soundtrack, the action flashes) almost forgotten. Given the creative team, I can't believe I'm stooping so low, but when even I, who easily let myself be captivated by the story, can see through the random fragments to the very end, something is wrong. (27/11/2013)