Carlos
Arthouse favorite Olivier Assayas followed up his critical darling L'Heure d'
Director: Olivier Assayas
Starring: Edgar RamÃrez, Alexander Scheer, Nora von Waldstätten, Ahmad Kaabour, Christoph Bach
Carlos
Arthouse favorite Olivier Assayas followed up his critical darling L'Heure d'
Director: Olivier Assayas
Starring: Edgar RamÃrez, Alexander Scheer, Nora von Waldstätten, Ahmad Kaabour, Christoph Bach
Hypnotic and sprawling five-hour-plus piece of cinematic genius.
One of the high points of last month's Telluride Film Festival was, as I wrote at the time, spending 5½ hours in a darkened theater-with one short break around the four-hour mark-to watch Olivier Assayas's shocking and edifying epic.
Like the convictions of some born into religious families, his (Carlos) Marxism seems more a matter of habit than faith. What seems to turn him on is power, which, the movie suggests, he nurtured alongside his luxe tastes.
It is a tremendous achievement that shines a light on the way many countries use criminals to further their domestic and international goals. Politically informative, it also offers great drama with excitement and suspense, and no little tragedy.
It's a tricky feat, channeling the glamour of a famous international terrorist without glamorizing him. But damned if French filmmaker Olivier Assayas doesn't pull it off with Carlos.
Most Promising Actor (Meilleur espoir masculin)
César Awards, France (2011)
Best Editor
European Film Awards (2010)
Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Golden Globes (2011)
Actor of the Year
London Critics Circle Film Awards (2011)
Best Director
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (2010)