Top 100 Most Anticipated Films of 2010: Olivier Assayas’s Carlos the Jackal

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IONCINEMA.com Top 100 Films

#11. Carlos the Jackal

Director: Olivier Assayas
Writer(s): Dan Franck and Assayas
Producers: Daniel Leconte and Jens Meurer
Distributor: IFC Films

The Gist: Carlos the Jackal traces the life of Carlos (currently serving a life sentence in a French prison) from 1973-1994. Full of violence and secret-service manipulation, the story includes the 1974 bomb attack on the Publicis Drugstore in Paris, the 1975 hostage-taking of 11 OPEC ministers in Vienna and several planned assassinations. All this unfolds against a geopolitical backdrop encompassing the PLO, Japanese Red Army, Iraq under Saddam Hussein, the USSR, East German Stasi, Hungary, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and, finally, Sudan where Carlos was arrested.….(more)

Cast: Édgar Ramírez, Farid Elouardi, Alexander Beyer and Anna Thalbach

Why is it on the list?: No one from Hollywood has managed to get the elusive Carlos jus right, I think might get him right. I’m glad this is going to Assayas — whose picture-perfect and poignant Summer Hours has officially converted me into a fan of his once again (I had issues with a trio of his films).

Release Date/Status?The three-part TV movie (for French audiences) then turned into a 2 hour theatrical film. Not sure what the plans are for IFC – they have something pegged for March.

 
Eric Lavallée
Eric Lavalléehttps://www.ericlavallee.com
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist, and critic at IONCINEMA.com, established in 2000. A regular at Sundance, Cannes, and Venice, Eric holds a BFA in film studies from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013, he served on the narrative competition jury at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson’s "This Teacher" (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). He is a Golden Globes Voter, member of the ICS (International Cinephile Society) and AQCC (Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma).

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