"Perhaps director Ridley Scott should have turned over the reins to whoever edited the trailer."

Great cast! Great director! Why did that movie flop? - CNN.com

(CNN) -- On the surface, "The Counselor" looked promising.  The film had a number of notable stars, including Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Michael Fassbender. It was directed by Ridley Scott, of "Gladiator" and "Blade Runner" fame. The script was by the renowned Cormac McCarthy, who wrote the book "No Country for Old Men" (which won Bardem an Oscar for his performance in the movie version). And it was an evocative tale of crime and corruption -- an easy sell at the box office.  Right?  Not quite. Like "The Fifth Estate" the week before -- another film with gold-plated credits -- it was given mixed reviews by critics and did poorly with audiences. "A casually violent and pretentious slog," wrote USA Today's Claudia Puig. "Perhaps director Ridley Scott should have turned over the reins to whoever edited the trailer."