Carlos2010
Carlos (2010)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Despite its hefty running time, Carlos moves along briskly, thanks to an engaging story, exotic locales, and a breakout performance by Edgar Ramirez.
Carlos Photos
Movie Info
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Cast
as Ilich Ramírez Sanchez/"Carlos"
as Johannes Weinrich
as Magdalena Kopp

as Wadie Haddad
as Hans-Joachim Klein, aka Angie

as Anis Naccache, aka Khalid
as Gabriele Kröcher-Tiedemann, aka Nada

as Joseph

as "Joseph"

as Youssef

as Kamal Al-Issawi, aka Ali

as Michel Moukharbal, aka Andre
as Wilfried Böse, aka Boni
as Brigitte Kuhlmann
as German Militant
as Carlos's Girlfriend
as Amparo

as Ambassador in The Hague

as Capt. Jean Herranz
as Gen. Philippe Rondot
as Maitre Jacques Verges

as Erik
as Lana Jarrar
as Cheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani

as Valentin Hernandez Acosta

as Dr. Belaïd Abdessalam

as Dr. Belaïd Abdessalam

as Iraqi Chargé d'Affaires

as Abdelaziz Bouteflika

as Jamshid Amouzegar

as English Secretary
as Chancellor Bruno Kreisky

as Otto Röesch

as Anselma Lopez

as Maria Teresa

as Edgar

as Albaida

as Leyma

as Luis

as Luis

as Cuatro Player

as Gallery Owner

as Inspector Dous

as Inspector Donatini

as Mohamed Boudia

as Orly Fedayeen 1

as Orly Fedayeen 2

as Latino Singer

as Englishwoman at Orly

as Englishwoman's Daughter

as Yukata Furuya

as head of Commando Unit

as JRA Commando 1

as JRA Commando 2

as Miss Full Moon
as Captain Broussard
as Iraqi Attaché

as Hassan Saïd

as Joseph Edward Sieff

as Joseph Edward Sieff

as Butler

as Sieff's Wife

as Young Boy

as British Policeman

as Beirut Airport Police

as Beirut Airport Police

as Fedayeen at Wadie Haddad's House

as Fedayeen at Wadie Haddad's House

as DST Agent in Beirut

as Receptionist
as Policeman 1

as Policeman 2

as Kurdish Doctor
as DC-9 Pilot

as Libyan Officer

as Austrian Ambassador

as General Al-Khouly

as General Al-Khouly
as Iuri Andropov
as Colonel Harry Dahl
as Major Helmut Voigt

as Col. Haïtham Saïd
as Nada's Friend

as Swiss Policeman

as Assem Al-Joundi

as Libyan General

as Bruno Bréguet
as Bruno Bréguet's Friend

as Parking Lot Guard

as Parking Lot Guard

as Carlos's Daughter

as Guy Cavallo
as Marie-Caroline Cavallo
as Lt. Borostowski

as Stasi Informer 1
as Stasi Informer 1

as Stasi Informer 2

as Magdalena's Mother

as Prison Guard
as French Policeman

as Dr. Nafaa

as German Policeman

as Syrian Holy Man

as Syrian Holy Man's Wife
as Hassan Al-Tourabi

as Gynecologist

as Carlos's Sudanese Mistress

as Dr. Nafaa

as Iranian Diplomat

as Iranian Diplomat

as CIA Agent

as CIA Agent

as French Diplomat

as Carlos's Bodyguard

as Carlos's Bodyguard

as Sudanese Agent

as Sudanese Doctor

as Sudanese Army Doctor
News & Interviews for Carlos
Critic Reviews for Carlos
All Critics (65) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (61) | Rotten (4) | DVD (2)
Carlos deserves mention alongside the greatest suspense thrillers ever made.

The term "epic" often gets bandied around to describe movies that don't really fit the description. But Olivier Assayas' Carlos is the real deal...
It manages to deliver a steady stream of action thrills even as it reconsiders the international terrorism of the 1960s and '70s for lessons important today.

A terrifying portrait of an egomaniac who demands absolute obedience, and craves it even more when his power and relevance are drained away.
It is one of the best pictures of the year.

It's a subtle, ultimately staggering portrayal of a bloody-minded ideologue who convinced only himself.
Audience Reviews for Carlos
Ramirez is outstanding in this biopic that explores the ambiguous nature of a revolutionary terrorist fervently devoted to a cause but who was also a self-centered man wanting to hold power over those around him - and even more fascinating is how the character needs to adapt to the many changes that occur in the world along twenty years. Excellent, but make sure you watch the full 330-minute version, not the condensed one.
Super Reviewer
I'm rating the complete miniseries. After viewing it,I have no desire to watch the condensed version. At five and a half hours, Olivier Assayas' "Carlos" doesn't steal a minute of it's audience's time. It's a stunning (reportedly fictionalized) portrait of the infamous terrorist Carlos the Jackyl, a man who's revolutionary ambitions are only matched by his lust for women and ego. Carlos is played by Edgar Ramirez (Domino, Zero Dark Thrity) who gives one of cinema's (and television's) finest recent performances. He deftly portrays a charming monster, a man who exploits the tribulations of others and foreign political strife to quench his own thirst for power. We never really like Carlos, but the film does a great job of making us understand him... rendering his journey through a world of violence, greed,and betrayal an utterly absorbing one. Assayas makes a film far removed from the warmth and grace of his 2009 "Summer Hours," but his exquisite characterization remains. He masterfully handles forcefully scenes of gritty action and violence as well as the potentially overwhelming flow of historical fact and figures. The single greatest strength of Carlos is how accessible if feels. A lot of information assaults the audience yet it all feels manageable and fluid. The scope is daunting but Assayas keeps it grounded enough to grasp. "Carlos" is a standout character study; a true modern epic that needs to be seen in any form. Undoubtedly though the miniseries is the way to go. Assayas' assured direction and the incendiary performance of Ramirez can't be ignored. It's brilliant.
Super Reviewer
Good heavens are my eyes exhausted. I have been working up the courage to face this behemoth six-hour movie for sometime and while I am thankful I actually took on the beast, my skull feels like it has just been squeezed in a vice. At its best, it is a meticulous look at career terrorism. The highs and the lows, the bombs and the blows, and every blue print in between. It is a fascinating look at the life of an extreme ideologue as he ditches every tail and cleans up the messes made by his partners. Every new hurdle slowly eats away at his overall goal of a global revolution, draining his energy and the audience's as well. Yet, while his moxie may be gradually diminishing, he never once appears to want to call it a day. Carlos is uncommonly obdurate and clings stubbornly to the belief that the world needs him. When in reality - in an observation made by a fellow Syrian terrorist - it is evident that Carlos needs these terrorist acts in order to give his life meaning. So even though many of his plans crumble, he quickly leap frogs to the next project. Knowing deep down that were he to stop, he would just be a senseless murderer. Not that he was without backing. In fact, he was courted by many regimes, but clearly his ego was writing checks that he could not feasibly cash. In meticulous and often exhaustive detail, Carlos and his gang are shown planning an attack on an OPEC conference and executing, pardon the pun, an attempted assassination plot on Anwar Sadat. Although six hours of these scenes can be laborious to sit through, its extensive length actually works in the favor of the narrative. After watching Carlos' extensive exploits for many hours, it helps the audience better understand his future actions. Primarily, it helps illuminate why Carlos begins to grow restless. The OPEC conference aside, Carlos must deal with botched job after botched job. He becomes more desperate with every passing year and his inability to start a global revolution breeds discontentment. Subsequently, his actions becomes more brazen. His idealism begins to give way to egoism and becomes a hazy concoction of ideology driven hubris. Edgar Ramirez is superb as the amoral man of conviction. There is a quiet intensity to him that makes it very difficult to take your eyes off of. It could have been so easy to play Carlos as an over the top megalomaniacal criminal mastermind, but he abstains from doing so. Thankfully Ramirez forgoes the headlines and gives us the fine print. I hope this role opens up more doors for this talented actor. Carlos is quite a journey and not one that I will probably take again this decade. However, it is a unique and well-acted film about what it truly means to live and die for a cause. No matter how futile it can seem at times.

Super Reviewer
Carlos Quotes
Ilich Ramírez Sanchez/"Carlos": | My name is Carlos... you may have heard of me. |
Ilich Ramírez Sanchez/"Carlos": | My name is Carlos, you may have heard of me. |