Carlos
User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 38 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 38
  3. Negative: 3 out of 38

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  1. RainFall
    Nov 14, 2012
    10
    Excellent. Be sure to watch it in it's full 336 minute glory. I went in thinking this would be a propaganda piece one way or the other, but left feeling the creators did a reasonable job avoiding that. There is a bit of it, but it's slight. Well acted, well casted, well written. It makes Homeland look like the crappy show it is.
  2. DQ_Slotkins
    Sep 27, 2011
    9
    There is no better film out right now. Just dynamite drama and action. Is it too long at 5 1/2 hours? Hell no! I wanted more. There is a 60 action sequence equaled only by Scorsese's Goodfellas - yeah, it's that good..
  3. Lyn
    Jun 5, 2011
    10
    Riveting -- have to thank the Sundance channel for providing 5 1/2 hours of engrossing, escapist entertainment during a boring weekend! Lead actor Edgar Ramirez is so charismatic that I couldn't avoid a few qualms about the terrorist being portrayed as such a sexy, glam guy. But the production as a whole, especially the controlled tedium of the final segment, gradually reveals the flaws of his character and the desperation of his existence. What irony as he bloviates about being "soldier" against imperialistic enemies while swilling endless glasses of Johnny Walker Red. Terrific storytelling.… Expand
  4. jrcven
    May 16, 2011
    9
    love it an awesome star making performance by its lead. direction was brilliant and you can not believe you are watching a 5 hour film saga.cant wait to see the next films of this great actor/director.
  5. massimo22
    Jan 17, 2011
    10
    Amazing miniseries! Personally I am venezuelan and the acting was outstanding. I am overwhelmed by the fact that it won a golden globe (being a french miniseries). 3 parts that are totally worth watching
  6. MANIFESTED1984
    Oct 18, 2010
    9
    You aren't likely to see another showcase that can un-romantically translate the story of a larger-than-life figure, in order to leave him all out there for YOU to judge his actions. Olivier Assayas has a trained eye to say the least. A real triumph in character, environment and story. Edgar Ramirez has arrived!
  7. jcorso
    Oct 18, 2010
    10
    Carlos is as good as a movie gets. It is 5 1/2 hours of riveting pulse. Carlos sparks the internal fear of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    Dec 30, 2010
    100
    Part of the accomplishment of Carlos is the sheer accumulation of detail the movie amasses, and the longer running time gives you a deeper sense of the terrorist lifestyle, and when and why Ilich gradually succumbed to ego and self-glorification without realizing it.
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  2. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    Dec 7, 2010
    100
    I haven't seen the shorter version, but I would hate to lose one moment of the gripping 66-minute sequence-really the heart of the movie-in which Carlos plots and executes his spectacular 1975 raid on the meeting of OPEC ministers in Vienna.
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  3. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    Oct 28, 2010
    88
    Carlos moves like a greyhound out of the gate, fleet and assured and focused on the business at hand. It's a subtle, ultimately staggering portrayal of a bloody-minded ideologue who convinced only himself.
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