A gritty and deservedly epic look at the underbelly of terrorism...

French Director Olivier Assayas has produced a thrilling action-drama biopic of the Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Sanchez Ramirez, better known by his nom de plume ‘Carlos’. It is such an extraordinary film that it deserves comparisons with gangster classic The Godfather for the uncompromising and utterly compelling world which draws you in to the petty politicking of a group of cold-blooded killers – in this case those of a faction of international terrorists.

Carlos was an enigma, and at the height of his fame almost a mythically revered icon of revolutionary struggle, though never to the same degree as fellow South American Che Guevara. To say that he thrived on chaos would be an understatement. Born into a Marxist family, he studied both in London and Moscow, during which time he was recruited by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). After proving his worth, Carlos swiftly moved up the ranks of their European network before leaving to set up operations on his own as a mercenary-for-hire following the aftermath of the infamous 1975 OPEC hostage-taking of oil ministers.

With a seven month shoot set in as many as ten countries, and with over 120 actors speaking an array of languages, it was important to find a lead actor who could embody the many different facets of Carlos. Edgar Ramirez (The Bourne Ultimatum, Che) is mesmerising in his portrayal of such a contradictory character who always seems slightly less committed to the Palestinian cause than he does for his own selfish ends. Ramirez inhabits the skin of his character to the point where he is totally believable: able at one moment to seduce his victim and at another to murder in cold blood.

"It will come as no surprise that the actor had to undergo therapy after coming off such an exhausting and all-consuming shoot."

In fact this is so good a performance that just for a split-second you actually want him to succeed. Both he and his namesake Ilich grew up in the Venezuelan city of San Cristobal, both lived in Caracas and both can speak a handful of languages. His Carlos is fashionable, effortlessly suave, a man about town, and narcissistic enough to admire his naked body in front of the mirror, though capable at any moment of slipping into bad habits including a weight gain somewhat reminiscent of De Niro in Raging Bull. His appearance is even more remarkable given the elasticity of his face which allows him to appear in a variety of guises from Guevara to Bardem, to a strange and somewhat disturbing hybrid of Joaquin Phoenix and Oliver Stone. It will come as no surprise, perhaps, that the actor had to undergo therapy after coming off such an exhausting and all-consuming shoot.

The first part of Carlos – the full-length trilogy version lasts over five hours – is focused on the rise of Ramirez identifying his ruthless determinism, his passion for women, weapons and whisky, and showcasing his strong anti-imperialist beliefs as he embarks on a life of chaos and assassinations towards a goal of creating violent political upheaval which takes us up to 1975 and the planned OPEC operation. However, if the first part was gripping, the operation itself was the most extraordinary piece of film, maintaining the tension for almost a full hour as the hostage scenario plays out from wholly within the meeting rooms where the talks were taking place.

What follows in the aftermath is Carlos’ apparent shift from zealot to mercenary where we, and those around him, begin to question his motives, his bravery, and his willingness to the cause. The final part, the longest of the three but equally satisfying, portrays Carlos in the hands of his various Middle Eastern paymasters and gives a much more human touch, examining friendships, and the consequences of a life dedicated to death and destruction.

"Assayas does not attempt to do anything other than give us access to this world; he avoids any defence or critique of his subject and forces us to judge Carlos as a man rather than on the manner in which he carries out his beliefs"

So suffocated are we in this world that it becomes impossible to see beyond its walls. For instance, there is little focus on the political effects of Carlos’ actions besides the immediate physicality of an attack. Nor is it possible for us to truly see the roots of his character through early relationships with his family, principally, I imagine, because it’s more interesting this way, but also because it would take such a leap of imagination. Instead Assayas and co-writer Dan Franck offer us their subjective take rooted in two years of research, enabling us to see how sordid and chaotic the politics of the Middle East has been, where human life seems to have lost its value as governments use intermediaries such as Carlos to do their dirty work before ditching them as the political winds change.

There is no doubt that Carlos, in its full grandeur, is a masterpiece of cinema. The array of performances maintains such a high standard that it is difficult and perhaps unfair to single out any of the supporting cast. That being said, Julia Hummer is particularly outstanding as the psychotic German revolutionary “Nada”, whilst Alexander Scheer as German terrorist Johannes Weinrich manages to bring a calm and professional influence which perfectly complements Ramirez’ more precocious, intuitive and dominating performance.

Fortunately, Assayas does not attempt to do anything other than give us access to this world; he avoids any defence or critique of his subject and forces us to judge Carlos as a man rather than on the manner in which he carries out his beliefs. As the director himself has declared: this is not a definitive biopic, but instead a subjective attempt to apply his own particular interpretation of the man behind the myth. We can be thankful he did.

Carlos opens theatrically in the UK on October 22nd

Contact Ben Lamy