Synopsis

A successful lawyer known only as the Counselor becomes involved in a lucrative drug deal near the Texas-Mexico border. Although he believes he can control the arrangement, a missing shipment triggers a brutal chain of betrayals, violence, and fear. As the criminal operation closes in, the Counselor discovers that wealth, influence, and careful planning offer no protection from the consequences of his choice.

Factoids & Trivia

• The screenplay was written by Cormac McCarthy, marking his first original screenplay rather than an adaptation of one of his novels.

• The title character is never given a personal name. Several other figures are also identified only by roles or descriptions, including the Diamond Dealer, the Priest, and the Wireman.

• Production was temporarily halted in August 2012 after Ridley Scott's brother, filmmaker Tony Scott, died. The film was later dedicated to Tony Scott.

• The Counselor was made for an estimated $25 million and earned approximately $71 million worldwide.

• The character Jefe recites lines from "Campos de Castilla" by Spanish poet Antonio Machado during one of the film's philosophical conversations.

• The movie was selected as the closing film of the 2013 Morelia International Film Festival.

• The film's stark crime-world dialogue and meditations on fate, responsibility, and evil reflect McCarthy's literary style, making the screenplay unusually dialogue-heavy for a contemporary crime thriller.