The Film
Olivier Assayas' three-part mini-series Carlos was enthusiastically received when it was released in 2010, but this 339 minute drama should not be taken at face value as it takes some serious liberties with the true story of Ilich Ramirez Sanchez; AKA Carlos the "Jackal." Carlos became the poster boy for international terrorism in the 1970s (and early 1980s) through a series of brazen and violent acts of terror in the name of international Marxism and the Palestinian cause.
Carlos (in a brilliant performance by Edgar Ramirez) struts around Europe and the Middle East orchestrating bombings, kidnappings, and hijackings; supposedly in the name of the oppressed, but one gets the feeling that he is more into the revolution for the fast women, booze, and notoriety. Ramirez' Carlos is filled with lust and rather explosive anger, but his motivation is not well explained.
Carlos' involvement with the Popular Front For the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) takes up a solid portion of the film (which intrigued me as my family was deeply involved from the Israeli side during this period) and while it makes for interesting cinema, Assayas doesn't do a great job explaining why a young Venezuelan (whose father was a marxist lawyer) would decided to become a member of a Palestinian terrorist group. The film also takes some interesting liberties with the history suggesting that Carlos was bounced from the Air France hijacking mission that ended with the historic raid on Entebbe by Israeli special forces.
His participation in the 1982 slaughter carried out by Abu Nidal at my favorite restaurant in Paris (Jo Goldenberg - which closed down in 2005) was the last straw for many in the French government, but the film doesn't cover this event well.
Aside from being an exceptionally long film (I've watched it twice), Carlos is a unique and suspenseful look at one of the 20th century's most colorful bad guys. If you can get past the romanticized portrayal, you're left with a very good piece of cinema.
The Picture
The scenes in Eastern Europe capture the drabness of the locations and you really do feel like you are behind the Iron Curtain in the 1970s. The film's grainy look works in its favor and the transfer is as clean as they come; zero artifacts, video noise, source damage.
Color saturation is excellent throughout; the muted color pallete works superbly for a period film set in the 1970s and gives it a real feel of authenticity. Carlos is one of Criterion's best Blu-ray releases in 2011 and quite remarkable looking considering the length of the film.
The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is good, offering clean dialogue and a solid stereo image, but the surround channels are barely utilized and I was quite disappointed by this. Gunfire and explosions are plentiful, but there isn't much else to convey the sense of space in the various locations; from Paris to Yemen and all points in-between. Music is used throughout the film but it doesn't really add much to the mix. Decent but not exceptional.
The Extras
Criterion usually does a pretty good job with its bonus content, but Carlos is one of the best in their catalog. The scene commentary is excellent, but it is the vast collection of documentaries and interviews that makes this Blu-ray release stand out. All of the key characters (minus Carlos) are here and it helps to fill in a number of gaps in the story; and there are some serious historical gaps.
The documentary on Carlos helps to remove some of the sheen and the interview with Hans-Joachim Klein provides more insight into the period than the film itself. An utterly fascinating collection of content that will appeal to those with a limited knowledge of the period and those with a lifetime of knowledge. Superb job Criterion.
Final Thoughts
On some levels, Carlos is a masterpiece that brilliantly recounts some twenty years of international terrorism though the eyes of its most colorful villian. For those without a background in the subject matter, it's easy to get sucked into the fictional aspects of the film and come away thinking that Carlos was something more than just a terrorist. Criterion's video restoration is superb and the bonus content is a treasure trove of history, but the film's lack of focus ultimately drops it a few pegs. Highly recommended with a strong pot of coffee.
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