Carlos

subtitles enghlish please

The story was interesting and worth the watch. Despite the disclaimers that stated fictitious characters were introduced in the movie and some events or parts of them were also fictionalized for artistic content, I like to think as I'm sure many others will, that it did not matter; we get a sense of what terrorism at the time, the 70's and 80's, was probably like. The movie has a lot of action scenes, a plus. It had too many solo * scenes of the character Carlos. My guess is the director(s) tried to convey the narcissistic side of the man; I can't rule out that possibility. I would have preferred he had some of the women Carlos was famous for seducing into his world of violence, with him in the * scenes. Édgar Ramírez did okay with the character of Carlos, but I think that had the direction of the movie been better quality, Ramirez would have provided a much better performance. The editing was sloppy and almost amateurish, I'm sorry to say. It won't spoil your enjoyment of the movie but if you watched the two part series "Mesrine", you can see the difference better editing and direction can do.

This 3 part series follows the "career" of Carlos from about 1973 to 1994. A psychopathic killer and terrorist leader he was responsible for a rash of bombings and assassinations for various groups mainly Palestinian causes. He was finally captured in Sudan in 1994. The movie is nicely filmed with period details adhered to. It seems to have been mostly filmed in Beirut with that venue passing for Tripoli Algiers etc... in any case it is convincing. What struck me is that the 911 attacks were nothing new...terrorists in the 1970s were taking OPEC ministers hostage blowing up planes etc... I am cynical enough to wonder why now there has to be trillions spent on the war on terror...seems they managed back then with out doing that. The military industrial complex needed a new threat after the cold war ended. Another flaw is the group is made to seem almost chic in their running from country to country. But that is minor. It is pretty good if you need to kill 6 hours.

'CARLOS': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five) This French-German film was originally released as a 3 part mini-series on premium pay TV in France. It was then screened at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival as a 5 and a half hour long movie and later released theatrically (in both a 2 and a half hour version and in it's entirety). It was directed by Olivier Assayas and written by Assayas, Dan Franck and Daniel Leconte. It stars Edgar Ramirez as the title character, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez (also known as 'Carlos the Jackal'), the infamous Venezuelan revolutionist and convicted terrorist (currently serving a life sentence in prison). The film (as well as Ramirez's performance) have received a great amount of awards and critical recognition including appearing on many critic's 2010 top ten lists. The film follows Carlos's rise to fame as a feared terrorist as well as beloved revolutionist. He first participated in several poorly executed bombings and assassinations before becoming notorious for a 1975 raid, staged by him, on the OPEC headquarters in Vienna (where three people were executed). He then took part in several other terrorist attacks while becoming one of the most wanted fugitives in the world. It focuses on his abusive relationships with women and his family (in later years) leading up to his arrest in Sudan in 1994. The film is interesting and entertaining while still remaining very informative and educational. The pacing is mostly well executed although several minor scenes could have been cut and it really starts to drag in the third act. The film would have been much more efficient and effective at a trimmer more normal running time (like at least three hours or less) but as far as TV mini-series goes (especially a biopic) it more than meets the standard. The directing is very cinematic in scope and Ramirez's performance is comparable in quality to many of the year's major films. The story itself is a little too depressing and disturbing as there are no real heroes to root for and it's more of a tragic tale of misguided ideology than anything else. Still the film does work at what it sets out to do. Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF5zRynRifs

When you want to make a movie of a notorious terrorist responsible for many innocent lives, it is a very difficult task: If you portray him in a romantic way you will be accused of glorifying an evil man, while if you portray him in a dark light you will be accused of blind fanaticism. Director Olivier Assayas has managed to strike a fine balance between these two extremes, and thus he recounts the story of Carlos in an objective and cool-headed way which fascinates the viewer from the beginning to the very end. The story begins with Carlos entering the world of terrorism as a young idealist, and ends with his capture at a time when he has become a corrupt and hedonist man. Throughout this time frame, Assayas shows us the story of a man, who despite his horrendous crimes, his life is really intriguing to watch. Edgar Ramirez is excellent in the central role, but the important thing in this film is that actually EVERYONE in the film is excellent in his/her role: The acting is superb all around, and at some point it begins to feel as if you are watching a documentary with real terrorists on the screen instead of actors. The direction is also superb, with the the pace being constantly fast and coherent. A great film to watch. 10/10.

Fascinating 5 hour plus, 3 part film about Carlos the Jackal (although he never actually called himself that) the headline grabbing terrorist of the 70s and 80s. With little exposition, we're dropped into a whirlwind of violence, self-aggrandizement, sexual seduction, and power games, moving at an almost dizzying speed. The film allows us to slowly figure out Carlos, instead of explain him in a simple facile way. While never sympathetic, somehow the amazing Edgar Rameriez allows us to feel for this id and ego driven creature, powered far more by the need for attention and adulation (whether from women or the press) than by true belief. Indeed, one of the most interesting things about the film is how (intentionally) shallow and hollow Carlos's political monologues ring. The last 1/3 is the slowest and hardest to sit through. Carlos's slow decline into ineffectiveness and unimportance is sometimes patience trying. But Rob Nelson, in his excellent Village Voice review makes a strong argument that this is a) unavoidable after the high paced rush of the first two parts and 2) part of the point of the film; without his fixes of women and power there wasn't much to Carlos, and without them both he and we want it to be over. This is a film I'd like to see again. While I don't quite agree (yet) with the many critics who have hailed this as of the best films of last 10 years, I do think it's a challenging, brilliantly acted, wonderfully made film, that gives context both to modern terrorism and recent world history. Add to that, an exploration of the blurring fine line between power and uncontrolled narcissism that seems to dog leaders (especially male) of all political stripes from Hitler to Bill Clinton to George Bush to Carlos. That's a lot to cover, even in 5 hours.

The acting in this IFC miniseries had me all hot and bothered, like Id never even realized that I secretly desired the life of a female Carlos. Activist, radical, terrorist, devoted to the cause no matter the cost. After watching the 3 parts, I found myself most turned on, titillated even by the first installment, so maybe slightly let down while watching the other two you may think.......well not at all. I was so impassioned, moved,and fully aroused by the bravado of Carlos, that I was enthralled by every following moment. Being only slightly intelligent and 31 with some major arrested development, I didn't know about Carlos. But what I found was cinematography, style, art direction, scripting and a lucuios soundtrack that had me at full attention within the first 10 mins. Where is my big sexy Latin man to rub guns against my crotch?

I really enjoy movies based in the 70's such as Munich. Unfortunately it is not the case for Carlos. The cinematography lacks coverage -- lots of hand held and quick pans..or maybe it's in the editing? Edgar Ramirez needs strong supporting actors to back him up in order for him to shine as a lead man (He is no Benicio Del Toro in Che) He too often over acts quite a bit especially when speaking a foreign language. Here is a perfect example on how music can make or break a scene. On too many occasions the score/song used does not support or enhance the mood of the scene but instead it pulls you out and kills the moment. Good action scenes, gun fights, explosions etc. Unfortunately it is not enough to save this effort.

I remember watching the full 3 part mini-series some years ago, and being quite engaged. However I'd strongly recommend not watching any of the abridged versions. I had a DVD for the roughly 170 minute version and was left feeling confused and bored. It's hardly made clear why he has become so notourious. Near the he starts a relationship with a woman who out of nowhere has a child with her. Then that ends almost straight away and he has a new girlfriend, out of nowhere. We see him with the Syrians, then a sequence of the Berlin wall falling is shown, and then immediately after we see the Syrians cutting ties with him. If you want the proper experience, see the full 5+ hours of it.

Olivier Assayas, that astonishingly versatile director, has given us a film about Ilich Ramirez called Carlos. I found a lot of pleasure in the details: for example the singalong by Venezuelan and other exiles in a Paris apartment that turns into a bloodbath when the police enter and try to detain Carlos. The nervous hand-held camera work as the mayhem begins is most effective. The center-piece of any film about Middle Eastern terrorism must be the OPEC hostage taking, and this event Assayas depicts very well. Carlos made me think of the political dramas the Italians used to do so well: The Mattei Affair and Exquisite Corpses by Rosi, The Battle of Algiers by Pontecorvo. I would give it a higher mark if the running time were not so excessive. The truth is that the last thirty years of this man's life have been pretty uneventful, and don't merit the outlay in time.