Blu-Ray Review: Incredible Criterion Edition For Olivier Assayas’ ‘Carlos’

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CHICAGO – Not all movies are similar in what they demand of the viewer. Obviously, a light mainstream romantic comedy requires a different level of commitment than a French period piece, but even art movies have varying degrees of viewer requirements. Even within the Criterion Collections, there are shorter, easier films and then there are releases like “Carlos,” a stellar epic that runs close to six hours and is accompanied by extensive, elaborate special features. This is the kind of release you’ll need to set aside more than just a day to appreciate. And it’s good enough that you may even want to watch it twice. Better set aside a week.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0

“Carlos” is, in some estimations, the best modern film about terrorism. There have been several epic examinations of influential madmen recently, including the acclaimed “Mesrine,” but few have had the instant impact of “Carlos.” With a riveting lead performance from Edgar Ramirez, “Carlos” began as a traditional 90-minute feature but its talented creator realized there was more to the story than first assumed. With the assistance of Canal Plus an amazing hybrid of TV mini-series and theatrical feature was formed. “Carlos” first aired stateside on IFC and was eligible for Golden Globe and Emmy consideration but it also played in shorter theatrical versions. This is the full theatrical version presented as only Criterion could present it.

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Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection

Ramirez plays the title character, the infamous Carlos the Jackal, one of the most wanted men in the world for his terrorist actions. The film about him is more than just a biopic of a madman. It’s about the changing face of terrorism around the world and it’s a mesmerizing accomplishment, a film that doesn’t really sag at all despite running over five hours.

Carlos was released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 27th, 2011 Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection

The Criterion transfer is stunning and the special features copious. It is often the case that Criterion is releasing older or smaller films for which there is not much supplemental material but such is not the situation with “Carlos,” one of their most impressive releases of the entire year.

Synopsis:
Carlos, directed by Olivier Assayas, is an epic, intensely detailed account of the life of the infamous international terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sanchez - also known as Carlos the Jackal. One of the twentieth century’s most-wanted fugitives, Carlos was committed to violent left-wing activism throughout the seventies and eighties, orchestrating bombings, kidnappings, and hijackings in Europe and the Middle East. Assayas portrays him not as a criminal mastermind but as a symbol of seismic political shifts around the world, and the magnetic Édgar Ramírez brilliantly embodies him as a swaggering global gangster. Criterion presents the complete, uncut, director-approved, five-and-a-half-hour version of Carlos.

Special Features:
o New Video Interviews With Director Olivier Assayas, Actor Edgar Ramirez, And Lenoir
o Selected-Scene Commentary Featuring Lenoir
o Carlos: Terrorist Without Borders, An Hour-Long Documentary On The Career Of Carlos
o Archival Interview With Carlos Associate Hans-Joachim Klein, By Jean-Michel Bougreau And Daniel Leconte
o Maison de France, A Feature-Length Documentary On A Carlos Bombing Not Included In The Film
o Twenty-Minute Making-Of Documentary On The Films OPEC Raid Scene
o Original Theatrical Trailer
o Booklet Featuring Essays By Critics Colin MacCabe And Greil Marcus, As Well As A Timeline Of Carlos’s Life And Biographies Of Selected Figures Portrayed In The Film, Written By Carlos’s Historical Adviser, Stephen Smith

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com [email protected]