The Counselor
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: October 25, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 42 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
15
Negative:
12
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
EmpireMark DinningOct 25, 2013
Ridley Scott finally gets to put Cormac McCarthy on the screen. It’s no No Country, but despite its less successful elements is shocking, powerful and — this just in — more gorgeously written than any movie you’ll see this year. Read full review
60
Time OutDavid FearOct 24, 2013
For every camp element like Javier Bardem’s rainbow-vomit outfits or Diaz’s onanistic tryst with a car windshield, there are a dozen poetic-pulp moments that channel McCarthy’s pitiless view of the world to a tee. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzOct 24, 2013
It never quite adds up. You can’t shake the feeling that both Scott and McCarthy are aiming for something here that remains out of their reach. Read full review
58
Charlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanOct 24, 2013
For a while, it’s fun to watch Bardem camp around in his rose-tinted glasses and stuck-my-finger-in-a-socket hairdo. Read full review
55
NPRIan BuckwalterOct 25, 2013
If The Counselor is a failure, it's at least a fascinating one. Much of the reason for that is time spent in the theater examining why the film isn't working. Read full review
50
Village VoiceSam WeisbergOct 29, 2013
The Counselor is the cumbersome end product of a high-minded writer trying to slum and a slick director aiming for cosmic depth. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 28, 2013
It's not so much a bad film as it is a disappointing one. A very disappointing one. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comDan CallahanOct 25, 2013
What works for him (McCarthy) in a novel cannot be said to work for him here. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter TraversOct 24, 2013
Oddly, the published screenplay – while far from McCarthy's top-drawer – reads better than it plays. What's onscreen recalls a line from No Country: "It's a mess, ain't it, Sheriff?" Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsOct 24, 2013
All that — and yet, dull. Why? Read full review
42
The PlaylistGabe ToroOct 24, 2013
It’s as if “The Man Of Steel” was ninety minutes of supervillians shit-talking Superman, then casually sticking kryptonite in his face without even pretending it’s a surprise. Read full review
40
The TelegraphRobbie CollinNov 20, 2013
It feels like a film that is attracted by the shape of love and pain, but is a long way from understanding the content. Read full review
40
Time Out LondonGuy LodgeNov 12, 2013
At least Cameron Diaz gives it some welly as the gold-toothed femme fatale who may or may not hold all the cards. Read full review
40
The GuardianKatey RichOct 24, 2013
Working as a screenwriter for the first time after years of seeing his novels successfully adapted to the screen, McCarthy is stretching his powers of language and mood – and, all too quickly, stretching his slim story and cast of characters way too far. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierOct 24, 2013
Ultimately, this dull tour of a thieving, primal underworld is just a lot of high-talking hogwash. Read full review
More From This Movie

48 Critic Reviews

5.7 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL