10 Movies The Critics Were Wrong About
3. The Counselor
The Counselor probably isn't anyone's favourite Ridley Scott movie, but it is one of the most distinctive thrillers of the entire 2010s, in large part due to a fantastically acid-tongued script written by legendary author Cormac McCarthy.
Despite this and a stupendous cast including Michael Fassbender, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, and Brad Pitt, The Counselor tanked with critics, scoring just 34% approval.
Many took issue with McCarthy's verbose, arguably at times impenetrable dialogue, yet for fans of his novels or those who simply appreciate sinewy philosophical chatter, this is a rarest of star-studded treats.
It's also sublimely violent at times and touts an appreciably nasty streak, yet also offers up enough dark humour and sheer weirdness - especially a certain scene involvig Cameron Diaz and a car - to be far from pure misery porn.
Hell, even Guillermo del Toro of all people loves it. It's categorically a "not for everyone" film, but there's far more nourishment here than the reviews suggest.