You don't have to watch the first 'The Counselor' trailer for it to have your attention. All you have to know is that it is directed by Ridley Scott, written by the legendary Cormac McCarthy and stars Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. If you know all of this and aren't already planning to go out of your way to see it, you have no business being a movie fan.

The trailer is brief and doesn't actually say a lot about what the movie is actually about -- although we can tell you it follows a lawyer who stumbles into the dangerous world of drug trading -- but it gives us a taste of the film's menacing, black-hearted tone. Since it was written by the author of 'No Country For Old Men,' 'Blood Meridian' and 'The Road,' you know it's going to involve men and women doing very bad things to each other in the middle of the desert. You also know that each of the movie stars in the ensemble is most likely looking at a fairly bleak death before the credits roll. But who knows? Maybe this is secretly the feel-good movie of the year.

Since this is a Ridley Scott production, the 'Counselor' trailer depicts a very handsome film, and the pedigree involved suggests that this could be a serious contender for the end of the year awards. After all, 'No Country For Old Men' proved that critics and audiences were both ready to embrace McCarthy's unique brand of bleakness, and Scott has something to prove after the misfire that was 'Prometheus.' We have a feeling this could be a genuinely great movie ... not to get your hopes up too high, of course.

'The Counselor' will attempt to be your favorite movie of the year on October 25, 2013.

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