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samcurler13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
alanffm's review against another edition
4.0
I found this in a dollar-bin and - not being too familiar with McCarthy's oeuvre- picked it up thinking it was a novel. I was a bit disappointed to find out it was a script, but it definitely redeemed itself.
There is a lot packed in here. While I was not particularly taken by the majority of the dialogues and scenes, there were a couple outstanding moments that are absolute genius. Like many of McCarthy's works, death, grand narratives, suffering, and religion are all broken down and pushed to their extremes.
I was particularly taken by several scenes including the jewelers take on Semitic and warrior/Greek culture, Jefe's talk with the counselor, and Malinka's monologue about the hunt. Truly great passages to look out for.
The movie and script are significantly different. The script is far more elaborate.
I will say that Cormac McCarthy is as much a philosopher as he is a writer. Truly engaging.
There is a lot packed in here. While I was not particularly taken by the majority of the dialogues and scenes, there were a couple outstanding moments that are absolute genius. Like many of McCarthy's works, death, grand narratives, suffering, and religion are all broken down and pushed to their extremes.
I was particularly taken by several scenes including the jewelers take on Semitic and warrior/Greek culture, Jefe's talk with the counselor, and Malinka's monologue about the hunt. Truly great passages to look out for.
The movie and script are significantly different. The script is far more elaborate.
I will say that Cormac McCarthy is as much a philosopher as he is a writer. Truly engaging.
brandonadaniels's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to the audiobook of this, which was the first screenplay I ever listened to. It was interesting how similar it was to his usual books. The long conversations that make up most of this make it an easy listen. There’s plenty here that didn’t make it into the movie, at least the theatrical cut, to make it worth checking out.
remlezar's review against another edition
4.0
After watching "The Sunset Limited" I decided to go on a bit of a McCarthy kick, which this was a part of.
I saw the film version of "The Counselor" as soon as it released, but I kept hearing that a lot of what made the story work was lost in translation from screenplay to movie. It has been almost two years since the film was hit theaters, so I could be forgetting some major parts of the movie, but based on what I do recall it seems like the final cut of the film is extremely close to the script. Some of the more intense dialogue does work better written than spoken - one devastating, crushing, nihilistic speech sounded forced and awkward in the movie, for example - but overall you don't get a whole lot extra from reading the screenplay as compared to watching the film.
As for the story itself, it's a harsh, depressing tragedy about bad decisions, violence, drugs, sex, and power. It's an uncomfortable trudge through the worst humanity has to offer. I remember after seeing the movie, I described it as like being run over, slowly, by an semi-truck, and when the last wheel finally finishes mangling your corpse, the driver throws the truck into reverse and does it all over again. It's a weird mix of being disgustingly hard to swallow and meandering and hard to follow.
If you're a fan of McCarthy, that description probably doesn't surprise you, and I'd say this story is worth checking out in one way or another, even if it isn't him at the top of his game. If you're easily disturbed or you have a hard time sitting through "slow" movies, though, you should probably stay away from the film and the screenplay.
If you're still not sure if this is for you, here are a few choice lines, to give you an idea of flavor:
"Grief transcends every value. A man would give whole nations to lift it from his heard. And yet with it you can buy nothing."
"The extinction of all reality is a concept no resignation can encompass. Until annihilation comes. And all grand ideas are seen for what they are. And now I must go. I have calls to make, and then, if there is time, I will take a little nap."
Did reading that either put you to sleep or cause you to consider suicide? If yes, skip "The Counselor." This ride isn't for you.
If, on the other hand, you're intrigued, and this kind of thing speaks to you, give it a go. Also, consider therapy. I certainly feel like I need a few sessions after the last page of just about anything I read by McCarthy.
I saw the film version of "The Counselor" as soon as it released, but I kept hearing that a lot of what made the story work was lost in translation from screenplay to movie. It has been almost two years since the film was hit theaters, so I could be forgetting some major parts of the movie, but based on what I do recall it seems like the final cut of the film is extremely close to the script. Some of the more intense dialogue does work better written than spoken - one devastating, crushing, nihilistic speech sounded forced and awkward in the movie, for example - but overall you don't get a whole lot extra from reading the screenplay as compared to watching the film.
As for the story itself, it's a harsh, depressing tragedy about bad decisions, violence, drugs, sex, and power. It's an uncomfortable trudge through the worst humanity has to offer. I remember after seeing the movie, I described it as like being run over, slowly, by an semi-truck, and when the last wheel finally finishes mangling your corpse, the driver throws the truck into reverse and does it all over again. It's a weird mix of being disgustingly hard to swallow and meandering and hard to follow.
If you're a fan of McCarthy, that description probably doesn't surprise you, and I'd say this story is worth checking out in one way or another, even if it isn't him at the top of his game. If you're easily disturbed or you have a hard time sitting through "slow" movies, though, you should probably stay away from the film and the screenplay.
If you're still not sure if this is for you, here are a few choice lines, to give you an idea of flavor:
"Grief transcends every value. A man would give whole nations to lift it from his heard. And yet with it you can buy nothing."
"The extinction of all reality is a concept no resignation can encompass. Until annihilation comes. And all grand ideas are seen for what they are. And now I must go. I have calls to make, and then, if there is time, I will take a little nap."
Did reading that either put you to sleep or cause you to consider suicide? If yes, skip "The Counselor." This ride isn't for you.
If, on the other hand, you're intrigued, and this kind of thing speaks to you, give it a go. Also, consider therapy. I certainly feel like I need a few sessions after the last page of just about anything I read by McCarthy.
zygomatic's review against another edition
4.0
After seeing the film and really enjoying some of the dialogue, I wanted to read through the screenplay. Some lines are thought-provoking, others aren't. But the film competently includes the best ideas and scenes.
No real need to read this if you've watched the movie, though.
No real need to read this if you've watched the movie, though.
mvatza57's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
krep___'s review against another edition
2.0
Reading a screenplay published as a book is an odd thing. We're not in characters' heads, and we can't see any facial expressions actors might use in a movie. But Cormac McCarthy has written amazing things sustained by just dialogue, such as his final book, Stella Maris, or by just dialogue and action (most of the rest of his works). So I can't lay the blame for why this one falls completely flat on its lack of interior dialogue. I could definitely see this being made into a mediocre drug-related action movie that I wouldn't like either.
merrysociopath's review against another edition
3.0
Sono un po' combattuto. Da una parte penso che, pur essendo questa una sceneggiatura, rientra appieno nello stile di Cormac McCarthy. Avendo letto sceneggiature di gente come Quentin Tarantino e Stephen King, mi è saltato subito agli occhi di come, pur usando uno strumento leggermente diverso dal solito, McCarthy lo abbia fatto suo e vi abbia trasportato quelli che sono i suoi tratti distintivi. Nella fattispecie, ermetismo e violenza. La sceneggiatura non è una tipica sceneggiatura hollywoodiana. Non so se sia stata rimaneggiata per la vendita in forma di libro, o se si tratti proprio del prodotto finito che poi Ridley Scott ha trasformato in film. In ogni caso, McCarthy ci ha messo del suo. Se nelle sceneggiature normali si trovano abbondanti indicazioni che delimitano scene e forniscono informazioni sui personaggi, in The Counselor non c'è niente di tutto ciò. Le uniche informazioni sono il TITOLI DI TESTA iniziale e il TITOLI DI CODA alla fine. Non c'è una netta divisione in scene, niente "interno, giorno", niente annotazioni relative ai personaggi se qualche raro cenno descrittivo fornito col contagocce. Quasi come se, nonostante la particolare forma impiegata, questo The Counselor sia a tutti gli effetti un altro dei romanzi di McCarthy.
D'altra parte, stando così le cose - e sempre ammesso che la trasposizione cinematografica si sia mantenuta fedele alla sceneggiatura, cosa che non sempre è da dare per scontata -, posso quasi capire come mai il film abbia ricevuto un'accoglienza piuttosto tiepida.
D'altra parte, stando così le cose - e sempre ammesso che la trasposizione cinematografica si sia mantenuta fedele alla sceneggiatura, cosa che non sempre è da dare per scontata -, posso quasi capire come mai il film abbia ricevuto un'accoglienza piuttosto tiepida.
woahitsfaye's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5