Ridley Scott returned to one of his most unloved films and he doesn't budge: for him, it was indeed a success!
For many, Ridley Scott's filmography is one of the most uneven in the history of cinema, alternating between masterpieces and incomprehensible failures. This is of course not everyone's opinion. Some will even swear that the filmmaker has never really made a single bad film. Scott himself is one of the staunchest defenders of his own career and his choices of achievements.
When a master speaks, one is not always obliged to acquiesce or agree with him, but it is wise to listen. So when Ridley Scott tells us that one of his films deserved much better than the critical reception it received because it was far from being rubbishit makes us want to think about it again. Because he might be right.
Ridley places cartel on table
In his recent interview for The Hollywood Reporter (which dates from November 7) Ridley Scott thus evoked one of his biggest regrets with his unloved Cartel (The Counselor2013) Not that he regrets having done it, but he does not understand the critical failure. On Metacriticthe film is only 48/100 average from the press international. The severe note of 1.9/5 out of Allocinated also says a lot about the feelings of French spectators.
However, in the eyes of the filmmaker, Cartel is a work that stands out for many great qualities, notably its dialogues:
“Cartel, for me, contains the best dialogue I have ever had in my career. Cormac McCarthy wrote the screenplay, and he brought it to me with [le producteur] Nick Wechsler. I said, “I will, but it has to be now.” And from there, I cast the cast in two weeks — Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz… they were all fighting to get these roles. I received terrible reviews, I was told. It was a very good film, but too dark for the average viewer. I think the dialogue is wonderful. »
You will understand one day
Despite a casting en or (this is one of Cameron Diaz's last notable roles, in fact) and a script that Ridley Scott considers excellent – as well asWidescreenat the time of the film's release – Cartel was therefore well planted. Is it the fault of the darkness of the feature film, as the director indicates? It's always difficult to say. Sometimes a film just doesn't meet its audience at the right time. Scott had already pointed out, in a 2023 interview, the fact that several of his cult films were not appreciated until much later.
It was for Rolling Stones on the occasion of the release of Napoleonand already at that moment, Scott said a lot of good things about Cartel:
“Cartel is one of my favorite films […] I was so disappointed [des retours] and I don't know who to blame because I think the movie is really good. He's so funny and cynical. […] It's always annoying because my films tend to get picked up later. The most famous is Blade Runner, which remained dead for twenty years. »
To quote a famous time traveler, if the public wasn't ready, their children would love it Cartel ? Time will tell, but the sad reality is that not all films (even good ones) are not always rehabilitated with time. Especially when it comes to a feature film that neither seeks to please nor soften its message in order to win over the viewer.
And this is perhaps where Ridley Scott's greatest merit lies in the end and what will undoubtedly characterize his filmography in the future. A non-consensual authorial view who has always refused to submit to the expectations of a Hollywood industry that is sometimes cautious in the face of complexity.
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