FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

Candida It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Mike Joseph Raymond I really enjoy movies based in the 70's such as Munich. Unfortunately it is not the case for Carlos.The cinematography lacks coverage -- lots of hand held and quick pans..or maybe it's in the editing? Edgar Ramirez needs strong supporting actors to back him up in order for him to shine as a lead man (He is no Benicio Del Toro in Che) He too often over acts quite a bit especially when speaking a foreign language.Here is a perfect example on how music can make or break a scene. On too many occasions the score/song used does not support or enhance the mood of the scene but instead it pulls you out and kills the moment.Good action scenes, gun fights, explosions etc. Unfortunately it is not enough to save this effort.

treywillwest I once heard Solzhenitsyn described as a major nineteenth-century novelist writing in the late twentieth century. By that same logic, I would call this film a major French historical novel of the 1950s in the form of a film from the early twenty-first century about events in the 1970s through '90s. This five and a half hour history of the career of Carlos the Jackal is a top-tier example of old-school existentialist biography. There is no moralizing, no psychology- only choice, and the historical-social conditions that shape choice. On this basis alone do the film-makers, heroically in my opinion, offer their "judgement" of Carlos. I admit that there were times while watching this that the thought entered my head, "Why is this six hours long?" But the end brought it all together. The last scenes, depicting Carlos's last days of freedom in Sudan, are surprisingly moving. Only in this last hour (last minutes?) are we forced to acknowledge that we have spent so much time with Carlos and his friends/accomplices that we have (no matter what we "moralistically" make of them- devil, hero, or anywhere in between) come to care for them. The film is so long, we have spent such time in their company, that no matter what their life-choices they appear as human to us, and we empathize with them. The use of music in the film is brilliant. Until the Sudan section already mentioned, its all early '80's post-punk, which I found out of place in the early parts of the film, which take place in the pre-punk early 1970s. But as history moves forward it works brilliantly. Once Carlos makes his last stop in Africa the music switches to African death-dirges. Carlos is human. If we mourn for even him, we mourn for all of us.

svaldez-4 If this film had been made in Hollywood it would of had wild car chases (with at least 5 cars going airborne) and Carlos would of had a magical ability to defy the laws of physics, and he would of been suave and debonair with the ladies (like 007). This is certainly no Bourne Supremacy or 007 movie with its supernatural stunts and unbelievable plots.Instead what you get is a realistic (as realistic as a movie could get) look at real terrorism in the 70's and 80's. If you like well developed characters in your movies and plots that actually make sense and are not cartoonish, then this is your movie. I will warn you it is a major time investment to watch the 5 hours, but in the end you will be rewarded with a movie that you will be thinking about for days after you finish watching it.

jcanettis When you want to make a movie of a notorious terrorist responsible for many innocent lives, it is a very difficult task: If you portray him in a romantic way you will be accused of glorifying an evil man, while if you portray him in a dark light you will be accused of blind fanaticism.Director Olivier Assayas has managed to strike a fine balance between these two extremes, and thus he recounts the story of Carlos in an objective and cool-headed way which fascinates the viewer from the beginning to the very end. The story begins with Carlos entering the world of terrorism as a young idealist, and ends with his capture at a time when he has become a corrupt and hedonist man. Throughout this time frame, Assayas shows us the story of a man, who despite his horrendous crimes, his life is really intriguing to watch.Edgar Ramirez is excellent in the central role, but the important thing in this film is that actually EVERYONE in the film is excellent in his/her role: The acting is superb all around, and at some point it begins to feel as if you are watching a documentary with real terrorists on the screen instead of actors. The direction is also superb, with the the pace being constantly fast and coherent.A great film to watch. 10/10.