Carlos: “epic view inside a mind of twisted humanity”

USAToday’s Anthony Breznican says Carlos is a harrowing journey at the side of a murderous predator, as director Oliver Assayas tracks the elusive mercenary with the objective clarity of a nature documentary.

The sheer ambition of this film may intimidate some, and until you are fully immersed in the world of Carlos it’s easy to doubt that any movie could justify a 5-and-a-half-hour running time.

Carlos does — and then some. (Bring on the sequel!)

…Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez (previously the assassin villain of The Bourne Ultimatum) does transformative work here, capturing the early idealism and its slow decomposition as a man who is equal parts rage and intelligence finds his evil acts softening that hardened soul into a mush of vanity and self-pity.

…Assayas clearly had time and resources to do it right — not just shooting at authentic locations around the world, but with a long enough shooting schedule for Ramirez to change physically over time.

He transitions from a muscular, handsome young guerilla soldier to something closer related to the bloated bourgeois swine he professes to despise…