nicholls_les This is a really well made movie. The films opening shows some amazing cinematography and the way it is directed keeps everything moving at the right pace.It is hard to believe that this is based on truth, although I don't know how much is actually true. I know Carlos the Jackal was a real person but was there really a lookalike involved in his capture? Aidan Quinn is brilliant in this, in my opinion he is a very under rated actor. Donald Sutherland is perfect in his role as is Ben Kinsley.Only down side there is a little too much bad language but I know this doesn't bother most people these days.

sol1218 ***SPOILERS*** A bit overcomplicated and confusing spy thriller involving US Navy Lt. Commander Cuban born Annibal Ramirez, Adian Quinn, who's recruited with a little bit of arm twisting by the CIA and Israeli Mossad to play the part of Carlos the Jackel in that Annibal is the spitting image of the notorious assassin. Behind all this cloak and dagger stuff is Paris CIA Director Jack Shaw, Donald Southerland, who has it in Carlos for strictly personal reasons! That's when back in September 1974 Carlos, disguised as a 1960's type of hippie, slipped right through his fingers and ended up blowing up a Paris café with Shaw, who survived the blast, being in it!Shaw with the help of Mossad Agent Amos,Ben Kingley, teach Ramirez all about Carlos' quirks and habits as well as his style, rough to the point of almost killing his partner, of lovemaking and send him out to Libya in a plot to have him make his backers, the Soviet KGB, think that he's about to turn on them and join the other side": The USA and its Western allies! This all has Ramirez end up killing a number of French Secret Agents, who raided his love nest, who mistakenly think that he's Carlos. Carlos himself in thinking he's being set up has one of his henchman Japanese assassin Koj, Von Flores, travel to Paris to knock off his girlfriend Agnieska, Liliana Komorowaka, who mistook Ramirez for himself whom Carlos feels betrayed him to the French Secret Service. Ramirez together with Shaw and Amos who just happened to be in Paris at the time of Agnieska's murder is later confronted by Koj who realizes, by Ramirez not knowing the right code word, that he isn't Carlos who then takes him, with a gun pointed in his gut, to a airport mens-room in order to knock him off! It's then that Amos comes to Ramirez's rescue by not only taking out the surprised Koj but taking a bullet or two for him at the same time!***MAJOR SPOILERS*** Meamwhile the KGB smells a rat in Carlos in him suspected of working for American intelligence,the CIA, and raid his pad outside East Berlin in order to take him in for questioning. This lead to a free for all shootout at Carlos', who was buff naked at the time, love pad where he's later run down by Ramirez who together with his boss Shaw were outside watching the whole spectacle. With both Carlos & Ramirez slugging it out Shaw not knowing which is which ends up shooting and seriously wounding the wrong man, Ramirez, with Carlos, now with his clothes on, getting away! The film ends in a confusing note with Ramirez now fully recovered from his wounds back in the states reunited with his wife and young son and Carlos now a man not only without a country but wanted by his former employers the KGB who've got a 50 million dollar or ruble contract out on him. We've still got a big surprise coming at the end the movie that's not at all lacking in surprises but by the time it hits us were just too numb or punch-drunk,in all the surprises we've already seen, to both notice or appreciate it!

john25burton I really liked this film. It was on one of the obscure digital channels and we happened to notice it in the schedules. The film is full of action and yet it is totally believable as it is based, I understand, on actual events. I have always much preferred films which are understated (notwithstanding the action this one is!) as opposed to those in the bang bang shoot shoot the hero never gets shot despite 50 men firing Kalashnikovs at him at point blank range variety, if you know what I mean. I would put this film in the same category as the Harry Palmer series; Spy Who Came in from the Cold variety etc. The performance were excellent from all the leads. Brilliant combination of Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland (always like his films)and Ben Kingsley. They always give such believable performances. I have always thought that Aidan Quinn has not received the recognition he deserves. He can play any part and never overacts: a total natural. In Stakeout for example (not my favourite film by any means), which was essentially a black comedy, he exuded menace to the point of psychotic - brilliant. In the next film he is able to play a character for whom the audience has total sympathy.

sparklesap If you liked the Richard Chamberlain version of the Bourne Identity then you will like this too...Aiden Quinn does this one brilliantly, you can't help but wonder if he is really out there...I reckon he and the other main cast members probably had nightmares for weeks after doing this movie as it's so intense. When I first saw it I was just flicking channels on the remote late one evening..& I got hooked within minutes. look up www.answers.com for Ilich Ramírez Sánchez who is the character that "carlos the Jackal" is based on for both... I remember reading about Ilich Ramírez Sánchez's arrest in the paper in 1997. It was front page for weeks, through the trial after his arrest.