The Counsellor

Outline 21 November 2013

Ridley and McCarthy team up for thriller, The Counsellor.

2012 was a big year for legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott, as the much anticipated Alien spin-off, 'Prometheus' hit the cinemas (read about Outline's Jay's trip to the Prometheus screening here - 'When Jay met Ridley...'). 2013 has been no less prolific, as he's teamed up with Pulitzer Prize winning author Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) to manifest the silver screen thriller, The Counsellor.

The film stars super smooth Michael Fassbender, the in-demandJavier Bardem and a trio of beauties,Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt. McCarthy, making his screenwriting debut - and Scott - interweave the author’s characteristic wit and dark humour with a nightmarish scenario, in which a respected lawyer’s one-time dalliance with an illegal business deal spirals out of control.

Told with wit, and ultimately violence and pathos, The Counsellor is a cautionary tale about mistakenly tempting fate. It is, says Cormac McCarthy “about people who get involved in something they should have stayed out of.”

Once dubbed the “Shakespeare of the West,” McCarthy's unforgettable characters have captivated the imaginations of millions of readers. While several of his novels – including*No Country for Old Men, The Road,*and All The Pretty Horses – have been turned into films, McCarthy has taken the initiative himself this time, directly writing screenplay for The Counsellor. Its characters are remarkable, the circumstances disquieting, and McCarthy’s wit and humor make the nightmare scenarios even darker.

The film is out on November 15th in the UK, with screenings at Odeon, Norwich.