The Counselor
A high‑powered attorney seeks a lucrative drug deal to cement his status, only to find himself ensnared in a ruthless cartel’s violent world where every choice could cost him his life and soul.
“Sin is a choice.”
Synopsis
A lawyer becomes deeply entangled in a dangerous situation when he decides to get involved in drug trafficking.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 309+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Pietro ScaliaShot by Dariusz WolskiScored by Daniel PembertonDesigned by Arthur MaxSound by Chris BurdonCostumes by Janty YatesVFX by Philip Greenlow
Box Office
2013 · Box office
✅ Made its money back — grossed 2.8× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$71.0M
US & Canada: $17.0M — 24% of worldwide · International: $54.0M (76%)
Opening weekend: $7.8M — 46% of its US run. Front-loaded — most of its money arrived opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $10.4M — 61% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 3,044 theaters
Versions & cuts
- unrated extended cut· 138 min
Also known as
- The Counselorde
- The Counselloren
- Cartelfr
- The Counselor - Il procuratoreit
- (English)The Counselor
- (Bulgarian)Съветникът
Release dates around the world5 countries · showhide
- United KingdomOct 3, 2013
- BrazilOct 25, 2013
- CanadaOct 25, 2013
- ColombiaOct 25, 2013
- IndiaOct 25, 2013
Companies
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Cast & Crew
309 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Michael Fassbender
as Counselor
Penelope Cruz
as Laura
Cameron Diaz
as Malkina
Javier Bardem
as Reiner
Cesar Aguirre
as Truck Driver #1
Daniel Holguin
as Truck Driver #2
Chris Obi
as Malkina's Bodyguard
Bruno Ganz
as Diamond Dealer
Richard Cabral
as Young Biker
Provence Maydew
as Woman in Grocery Store
Brad Pitt
as Westray
Paris Jefferson
as Waitress
Supporting cast
58Dar Dash
as Barman
Rosie Perez
as Ruth
Alex Hafner
as Highway Patrolman
Andrea Deck
as Watching Girl
Sam Spruell
as Wireman
Toby Kebbell
as Tony
Emma Rigby
as Tony's Girlfriend
Edgar Ramirez
as Priest
Eben Young
as Bike Clerk
Richard Brake
as Second Man
Barbara Durkin
as Cafe Waitress
Giannina Facio
as Woman with Mobile Phone
Velibor Topic
as Sedan Man
Juan Jose Rodriguez
as Junkyard Man
Alexander Biggie
as Junkyard Boy #1
Pablo Paredes
as Junkyard Boy #2
Miguel Cavassa
as Third Man Killer
Frank Spano
as Man with Bar
Alejandro Marzal
as Man with Pistol
Kolya Alvaro Dam De Nogales
as Scared Boy
William Henry Mulvihill
as Scared Boy 2
John Hugill
as Scared Dad
Gerard Monaco
as Hotel Waiter
Fernando Cayo
as Abogado
Dean Norris
as Buyer
Carlos Julio Molina
as Workman
Ruben Blades
as Jefe
Donna Air
as Chauffeur
Natalie Dormer
as Blonde
Marco Tulio Luna
as Cafe Man
Lida Cardona
as Mourning Lady
Roger Dalmases
as Delivery Boy
Julien Vialon
as Maitre'd
Goran Visnjic
as Banker
Rubi Ali
as Hotel Receptionist
Gintare Beinoraviciute
as Polo Event Spectator
Vic Blickem
as Partygoer
Bern Collaco
as Diner
Eva Dagoo
as Pole Dancer
Robert Dukes
as Waiter
Mark Haldor
as Diner
Max Hausmann
as Sergeant Timber
Jaey Howe
as Redneck mechanic
John Leguizamo
as Coverall Man Randy
Asuncion Marhuenda Rubira
as Model
Arthur Max
as Cartel Man
Cesar Miramontes
as Self
Michael Pearson
as Redneck
Alan D Purwin
as Helicopter Pilot
Natalie Rachel
as Waitress
Charlie Richards
as Westray's Assistant
Mundy Rieu
as Policeman
Jurgen Schwarz
as Jeff (Columbian Drug Dealer)
Mark Shrimpton
as Motorcycle Showroom Manager
Josh Spear
as Musician - Dixieland Band
Alex Spijksma
as Lawyer
Pablo Verdejo
as Sedan Man 2
Chris Wilson
as Ambulance Paramedic
Directors
1Writers
1Producers
18Cormac Mccarthy
executive producer
Denise O Dell
line producer: Spain
Jonathan Collard
digital intermediate assistant producer (uncredited)
Marie Fernandes
digital intermediate producer
Mark Albela
line producer: Spain
Mark Huffam
executive producer
Mary Richards
line producer: UK
Michael Costigan
executive producer
Michael Schaefer
executive producer
Nick Monton
digital intermediate producer
Nick Wechsler
Producer
Paula Mae Schwartz
Producer
Philip Greenlow
visual effects producer: MPC
Ridley Scott
Producer
Rob Farris
digital intermediate producer (uncredited)
Stefan Sonnenfeld
digital intermediate executive producer: Company 3
Steve Schwartz
Producer
Teresa Kelly
associate producer
Other crew
224Dave Griffiths
2d supervisor: MPC (as David Griffiths) / compositing supervisor
Paty Avila
accounts production assistant: Spain (as Ávila, Patricia)
Daniel Hamill
accounts trainee
Andy Colquhoun
action vehicle technician
Ana Alcazar
action vehicles assistant: Spain
John Barrett
additional score engineering / pro-tools
David Betancourt
adr mixer (as Dave Betancourt)
Greg Fisher Nm1049807
animation supervisor: MPC
Martin Jago
animatronic designer
Juan Aledo
armorer: Spain
Alejandro Fernandez
Art Directors
Alex Cameron
Art Directors
Parents Guide
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Ratings & reviews
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