One of the biggest disappointments for me this year was Ridley Scott‘s The Counselor. With an original screenplay from Cormac McCarthy and a cast that included Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz, just to name a few, I expected something much better than the obvious, beat you over the head narrative we received. Well, perhaps a little more substance will be found in the just announced extended Blu-ray edition of the film.
The theatrical cut of the film ran 117 minutes long, but the extended cut adds an additional 21 minutes of footage for a two hour and 18 minute cut of the film. Scott is known for offering extended versions for damn near every film he releases while having multiple cuts of films such as Blade Runner and these extended cuts have come to be known as hit-or-miss, but I think this gives good enough reason for all those people that have been placing Scott’s cautionary tale on their “worst of 2013” lists to perhaps take a step back and reconsider (as if that wasn’t ridiculous enough in the first place).
When released, The Counselor there was a critical line in the sand and it seemed most either loved or hated it. Same went with audiences. I came down somewhere in the middle (though more toward the negative side), being strangely intrigued yet also underwhelmed. As presented theatrically it felt like a series of cynical vignettes, loaded with well-written, though obvious and foreboding dialogue, all attached to nothing. The vibe was there, the characters were great and individual scenes grabbed your attention and never let go, but as I set about piecing everything together nothing thematically was left to the imagination.
That said, I had this lingering suspicion this may be a film that will improve upon repeated viewings (not to mention the passing of upwards of 5-10 years) and even as I spoke with others about it there was this sense that even the film’s detractors didn’t quite want to let go of it. Is there something else there? Is there not? With 21 additional minutes I’m definitely intrigued and really want to see what Scott has decided to put back in. I’ve read a few pages of the script and suddenly want to go finish it.
The DVD and Blu-ray will hit shelves on February 11. The DVD will only include the theatrical feature along with the viral videos that were featured online, the Blu-ray will include the theatrical and extended versions of the film, the viral videos and a “Truth of the Situation: Making The Counselor” documentary.
NOTE: The official page for the Blu-ray release at Fox Home Entertainment says the Blu-ray release will also feature an audio commentary on the extended edition, but that was not included on the press release so we’ll have to wait and see to find out if that’s on there or not. I have reached out and will hopefully have an answer soon.
