Carlos

Drew's Thoughts:

Carlos is an ambitious portrait of the international terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal by French filmmaker Olivier Assayas. The 5 1/2 hour film was screened at Cannes Film Festival earlier in the year and was later broadcast on French television in 3 installments and also as an edited 2 1/2 hour theatrical cut. I watched the original 5 1/2 cut and enjoyed the film pretty thoroughly.

The film is anchored by an equally charasmatic and repugnant performance by Edgar Ramirez as Carlos, a man who views himself as a revolutionary but when it comes down to it he's all about the ego. 5 1/2 hours is a long time but the film stays pretty energetic throughout and I was never bored. Considering the large scope of the film though, its length doesn't seem so crazy. My favorite part was the hour or so covering the raid on the 1975 OPEC meeting in the middle of the film.

The film is among the best I've seen this year and Edgar Ramirez is worth considering in the Best Actor category for his empassioned, dedicated performance.