'The Counselor' Teaser Trailer Drops

"You may think they are things that these people are simply, incapable of. . . There are not."
                                                                                                                                                                                 --Westray

It's here. It's finally here. The first footage from Cormac McCarthy's first screenplay, "The Counselor." This is the man responsible for No Country For Old Men, the best selling novel that the Coen Brothers turned into a 4-Oscar win, Best Supporting (for Javier Bardem who plays in this), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and ultimately Best Picture.

Got your attention now do I?

Last January I remember reading that Cormac McCarthy was shopping around his first completed screenplay, written solely on speculation, a spec-script. The Road producers Nick Wechsler, Paula Mae Schwartz, and Steve Schwartz snapped up the rights to it, and began shopping it around for the rest of the chess pieces.

 2 weeks later, after going back and forth decided on his next project, while wrapping up Prometheus Ridley Scott confirmed he was in deed directing the project. Coming off the old news he was prepping Blood Meridian, only to eventually walk do to various key issues, this only made sense a hole in his schedule and this material

After I wiped, shower-badayed and then changed my boxer-briefs, I got back to reading the news of this holy arrival of film magic.

Producer Steve Schwartz told Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr.

"Since McCarthy himself wrote the script, we get his own muscular prose directly, with its sexual obsessions. It’s a masculine world into which, unusually, two women intrude to play leading roles. McCarthy’s wit and humor in the dialogue make the nightmare even scarier. This may be one of McCarthy’s most disturbing and powerful works."  

Two weeks later, Michael Fassbender was confirmed for the lead, staring as:

"A respected lawyer who thinks he can dip a toe in to the drug business without getting sucked down. It is a bad decision and he tries his best to survive it and get out of a desperate situation."

I'm game son.

Then the rest fell into place: Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem took the baddies and antagonists, playing Westray and Reiner respectively, booting out Jeremy Renner who was up for a spot. Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruiz took the women, who evidently, emerge as leading players in the story as time continues through it. Angelina Jolie was circling the role of Malkina, Diaz's role, while Natalie Portman was in early negotiations to take Cruiz's role of Laura, the lawyer's fiance.

Rounding out the rest of the cast is Dean Norris, Rosie Perez,John Leguizamo, Natalie Dormer and Goran Visnjic. Rosie Perez? One can only wonder. . . 

I will now spare you, and present to you the first footage from my pick of the year: The Counselor.



As you can see in the trailer, Scott has really stepped back and taken a look at the atmosphere he wants to invoke here. With such a top-choice-cut, why not change things up. I notice a polished gloss, a sleek streamlined finish on the frames here. A Victoria Secret commercial feel is in full force, which only says he's using a delicate and intimate approach to invite us into this world.

I see a lot of held-held and steady-cam work as well as his usual cranes and jibs. This man knows and understand what kind of material he has, and is molding and changing to acclimate to a new environment for himself.

There is a cotton soft, dryer-sheet touch to the cinematography that I found myself immediately enjoying.

All I see here, is the cast having a Goddamn ball in their roles. Fassbender as David 8 in Prometheus was surely given the most love and excitement from the filmmakers, and you can see the budding friendship and trust coming through in the movie between Scott and Fassbender. So it makes perfect sense he's been brought back here. Are we about to see the next form of Russell Crowe for Scott? Why the hell not.  Bardem cutting loose here, riding the good steam and fun he had in Silva, I'm tryin' to see where he takes his Reiner character.

Diaz I see, is looking like she's really sinking her teeth into something I'm sure she's more than grateful to have. I'm really interested to see where she's going to go in this. Maybe some Any Given Sunday as the foundation with a little bit of Vanilla Sky and Gangs of New York sprinkled on top?

I'm sure those are all just starting points, I'm excited to see what she does here, after a near decade of slumps and dumps at the box office (No, Shrek does not count). Bad Teacher could have a lot more than it was, but it got her 100 million at the domestic box office in here the states. So let's see. . .

There too many reasons to go and see this and not a single one not to go. Listen son, take it from me, when Cormac mother-fuckin' McCarthy writes something that becomes a film, from his pen directly to the screen with ZERO INTERFERENCE--then you drop whatever it is that you happen to be doing and go see it.

You can thank me later.

I'll be there October 24th at midnight.

Munki out.