French director Olivier Assayas directed this 5 1/2 hour film, Carlos (2010), financed by TV for the extended format. Nevertheless, he treated the filming as if for the large screen with wide angle shots using 35 mm film stock. Casting found the improbable Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez to be a superb match for the charismatic terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal. The soundtrack was originally based on music from the Feelies, but was withdrawn when they feared association with terrorism. Wire stepped in to fill the void. The film is shot in many locations, including Paris, Hungary, and Lebanon.
The film examines the life of Carlos, culminating in the hostage takeover of OPEC in Vienna (21 Dec 1975). When the Berlin Wall falls (Nov 1989) a new world order is established which has little room left for Carlos' glamorous style of terrorism and arms smuggling. As his health deteriorates in Khartoum, his only refuge, he adds weight (Ramirez added huge amounts of weight during filming) and becomes slovenly, in recognition of his lost cause.
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