Review of Carlos (2010) by Brock B — 01 Sep 2011

Carlos is an epic, ambitious, 5 hour long fictionalized drama on the rise and imminent fall of International Terrorist mastermind, Illick Ramirez Sanchez, also known as Carlos "The Jackal", covering 2 decades, depicting his operations 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 hearted, obsessive, demanding criminal without glorifying him.

Edgar Ramirez is the star of this show and he more than just gives a charismatic and spellbinding performance, portraying 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. He's ultimately a jackass who is also a womanizer and a playboy who demands absolute loyalty and devotion to him, even during his downfall. A flawed character portrayed brilliantly by Ramirez. The Photography is top notch and the 70's are brought to life with exotic locations and an adventure taking us all over Europe and Middle East, where Carlos hides out majority of the film. There is tension and urgency in the hijacking sequences and the violence is shocking than over the top.

There are minor flaws such as the Editing, where the transition is sometimes abrupt and other times the pacing too slow, with a few too many unwanted scenes; some of the explosions are in CGI which sometimes takes away the thrill in the tense sequences, while the soundtrack felt out of place in many scenes. But that never gets in the way of the overall production. One of the best mini series ever produced.