Review of Carlos (2010) by Frédéric H — 01 Sep 2011

Review is of the full 5hour plus mini series.

Beruit, 1972: Illyich Ramirez Sanchez, a Venezualian Marxist, has landed in Lebanon where he will meet Wadie Haddad, the man behind the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestines terror campaign. In the wake of the Israeli retalation for Munich the PFLP is looking for new talent for their European network, Sanchez convinces Haddad that he can be useful in the anti-Zionist struggle , which he views as part of the larger international war against the Capitalist west. Haddad asks Sanchez to choose a codename and thus Illyich becomes Carlos a man whose name will become synonomious with global terrorism during the 70's and 80's...

Covering Carlos' life from his beggings in the PFLP and his views on the Cold War conflict between Communism and Capitalism to his broading network of contacts which include the Japanese Red Army, the German Revolutionary Cells to the intelligeance services of East Germany, Iraq, Syria, and Libya including his most famous act in Vienna 1975 when he stormed the OPEC meeting taking the oil ministers hostage, to his terror campaign against France, his increasing meglomania as he begins to equate the "Revolution" with himself, growing celebraty/infamy, to his capture in 1994 by the French in the Sudan. Olivier Assayas has crafted a masterpiece worthy of being compared to Scarface (which it surpasses) and The Godfather rivaling Hollywoods best (on much less then half the budget I'll add). Edgar Ramirez is captavating as Carlos, a man with many layers but commited to his cause even as he lets himself be blinded to his own hypocrasy. I look forward to seeing mopre of Ramirez's work. The supporting cast is equally up to the task providing excellent performances as the switch between acting in English, French, German, Arabic, Spanish and Hungarian (bonus points for having everyone speak the approariate language at the right time), particularly Nora von Waldstatten as Magdalena Kopp, Carlos' 2nd wife, and Christoph Bach as "Angie" a German Marxist and Militant who joins with Carlos but who's time with the famed terrorist leads to dissillusionment and a rejecting of the armed struggle (Angie, real name Hans-Joachim Klein disagreed with Carlos' motives and methods, however ultimatly it was when his comrades aided the PFLP in hijacking the Air France Airliner that they then took to Entebbe and seperated the Jews from everyone else that forced his decision "I'm an anti-Zionist. Not an anti-Semite").

An excellent look at some receint history that remains releviant. Recommended.