Any thriller featuring the cast of The Counselor coupled with the fact that Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) is directing would vault it onto the list of Oscar hopefuls.
The Counselor also has the added bonus of having an original screenplay written by Cormac McCarthy, considered of the best novelists alive. If you’re not familiar with his literary works, you’re probably at least aware of some movies adapted from them: The Road, All the Pretty Horses, and the Oscar winning No Country for Old Men.
The film is a thriller about a lawyer (Michael Fassbender) who gets tangled up with some nefarious characters in the drug world. It’s got an impressive cast that includes Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, and Brad Pitt.
Oscar attention so far has focused on Picture and Director nominations, as well as the strong possibility that Mr. McCarthy gets an Original Screenplay nod. As far as the actors, it’s been Diaz and Bardem in their Supporting roles mentioned the most. Fassbender for Best Actor seems possible, but he’s also being touted already for Supporting Actor in 12 Years a Slave (I’ll have an Oscar Watch post on that one soon enough).
Director Scott saw his 2000 epic Gladiator take the top prize, but he lost Director to Steven Soderbergh for his work in Traffic. I would expect The Counselor to be a major factor in several races for 2013.
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