Review of Carlos (2010) by The A — 01 Sep 2011
Carlos is an epic, ambitious, 5 hour long fictionalized drama on the rise and fall of International Terrorist mastermind Illick Ramirez Sanchez, also known as Carlos "The Jackal", spanning 2 decades in his operation all over Europe and Middle East.
Directed by Olivier Assayas, this is an assured, truly well made 3 parter that succeeds to not only entertain but also thrill you and allow you to sympathize with a cold blooded criminal. Starting with his beginnings and failed attempts to his rise and his operations and executions to finally his imminent downfall.
Edgar Ramirez is the star of this show and he more than just gives a charismatic and spellbinding performance, portrays Carlos as a naive, arrogant, over confident, self-righteous Terrorist who fights for a cause but is too afraid to die for what he believes in and stand for, but ultimately he's a jackass who is also a womanizer and playboy. A flawed character portrayed brilliantly by Ramirez. The cinematography is top notch and the 70's are brought to life. There is tension and urgency in the hijacking sequences and its unflinching in its portrayal of violence.
The only flaw exists in the editing department, sometimes it's abrupt and other times too slow. The pacing is also a problem but never gets in the way of the overall narrative. And some of the explosions are in CGI which sometimes takes away the excitement and thrill in the tense sequences. This remains to be one of the best mini series produced. Highly Recommended.
A-.
8.8/10.
This review of Carlos (2010) was written by The A on 01 Sep 2011.
Carlos has generally received very positive reviews.
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