Matcollis
This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
Dorathen
Better Late Then Never
ChanFamous
I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
Stephan Hammond
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
dakjets
His is a fascinating and interssant film about the terrorist who went under the nickname The Jackal. The film is based on the years has been active as a terrorist, with all the cruelty committed by him and his network. The movie therefore takes the 20 years he was a feared man in the West.
The film has good depictions, and portrays the violence and terror they performed. Unlike, for example, Steven Spielberg's film Munich, this film does not aim to come under the skin of The Jackal. What was his inner motivation to accomplish these terrible actions? We do not get any answer as to why he took these choices and the underlying causes of a terroist life. But yet the movie is good as it gives an insight into a world we do not know on the inside. The brutality of the film gives insight into what blind fanatism does, and how individuals do not make any sense in reaching their political goals.
blanche-2
This miniseries, three hours from an original five hours, is the story of Carlos the Jackal, a Venezuelan terrorist who operated in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. His most famous attack was on an OPEC meeting in 1975. Sixty hostages were taken and 3 people killed.Carlos, real name Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, was allied with the Palestinian/anti-Zionism cause, seeking justice and equality. Written and directed by Olivier Assayas, the twenty-year sojourn of Carlos has some of the dialogue from Stasi recordings; the director fits in real events, mixing in actual footage and some fictional ones of meeting and negotiations.Carlos was committed to the cause, but he was also egomaniacal and ambitious, besides being somewhat of a mercenary. He was also a womanizer and believed that his destiny was to be killed.Once the wall came down, Carlos became an artifact, drifting from country to country seeking asylum, and finally being moved to French soil while he was ill, so that he could be put on trial.Edgar Ramirez does a fantastic job as Carlos. Like many of the South American or Spanish actors I've seen, he is completely natural and believable. It helped also that he can speak several languages as the character needed to slip in and out of them. He is an enigmatic Carlos, a powerful man who could take over a group with very little effort.There are many bombings, car chases, and meetings to be had and for some it may be tedious to follow. I found it very well made and interesting.
SnoopyStyle
In 1973, Venezuelan Marxist Ilich Ramirez 'Carlos' Sanchez is in Europe as a high operative for the PFLP. He assassinates targets. When his superior André is arrested, PFLP head Wadie Haddad assigns him to take OPEC oil ministers at their Vienna conference hostage. In December 21, 1975, his group succeeds in taking hostages but their attempt to find asylum ends in failure. He goes to work for himself causing havoc around the world.Olivier Assayas tries to fit a very big life into a limited space. Édgar Ramírez is great. This is a juicy part. I saw the shorter version and it has a compressed feel. Three hours is not enough to get the whole story. This needs to be a longer TV show or a shorter movie of the OPEC hostage taking. This has the great feel of the era. The hostage taking and the subsequent turmoil is fascinating and would make for a tight historical thriller.
laffnj
Carlos the Jackal does way to much to be something that its not. A film more about the story then the entertainment. The long running time (2h: 45m) gives you the feeling that, like with any long running film, that it will be an absolute masterpiece or a boring film that drags on forever. This film was centered right in the middle. Its depiction of the greatest terrorist to ever lived shows glimpses of a genius masterpiece, but with such long intervals between great scenes it makes it a struggle to hold complete attention till the end. Keeping attention till the very end comes with no reward, expecting an exciting ending that makes the nearly three-hour movie worthwhile never comes. Although Edgar Ramirez was a picture perfect Carlos and gave one of the performances of his career, in which he deserved his Golden Globe nominations. If you're interested in the story rather then the entertainment, then you will enjoy this movie. Entertainment wise, it's not the greatest.