Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn

The title of my review should probably be the title of this documentary. The story, the filming, production and editing is exciting and spot on. The show, for me, falls apart with the far too often interjections by the moronic twit, Richard Quest. His maniacal, high pitched voice, screaming his trade mark ignorant and utterly ridiculous interruptions, totally destroy this show. There is no doubt the Gosns was a fascinating man who actually did turn around Renault and Nissan before he imploded and ran away from everything. It is an amazing tale and well told in this well paced and well made documentary. Except for the lunatic and ridiculous interruptions of the moronic Richard Quest, this is a great show. It's such a shame when the obvious American network interjection of this no talent idiot nearly destroys a great show.

As "Wanted: The Escape of Carols Ghosn" (2023 release from the UK; 4 episodes ranging from 42 to 51 min each) opens, Carols Ghosn faces the camera for a sit-down interview with the film makers, whose first question is about the moment in November, 2018, when the world was shocked to learn that he had been arrested by the Japanese authorities. We then go back to Ghosn's humble beginning at Renault in the mid-90s. At this point we are less than 10 minutes into Episode 1. Couple of comments: this is the latest from well-regarded British director James Jones ("Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes"). Here he reassesses the steady rise of business rock star Carlos Ghosn, who had turned around 2 major car companies (Renault and Nissan) and at the time of his arrest being the CEO of both companies. One may agree or disagree on what Ghosn had done right or wrong. The question is: is this a worthwhile documentary mini-series? The answer is an unequivocal YES. These 4 episodes just flew by. I must say that the Japanese don't look all that well in these events (the underlying implication being that the Japanese were dreading the possible merger between Renault and Nissan and the likely subsequent loss of a Japanese icon). To the "reviewer" here who rated this mini-series 2/10 because (s)he dislikes Ghosn: this is not a poll whether one likes or dislikes Ghosn! This is supposed to be a review of the underlying documentary mini-series... "Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn" started streaming on Apple TV a few days ago. It has gotten near-universal critical acclaim, and is currently rated 88% Certifies Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes for good reason. If you have any interest in the rise and fall of a global business leader, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

It is baffling the nerve this human being has to even show his face up and be on a documentary just spewing lie after lie A desperate attempt to clean his reputation but the goal is never achieved From the evidences found in the investigation to the blatant lying and stuttering while attempting to give a credible answer to a poignant question, it is clear that this man is not a victim of a plot against him (this is just a mere narrative he created in his own mind, to convince himself and others) He says he fled Japan because he had no chance of a fair trial, yet when Renault gathered enough evidence from his laptop hard drive that millions of dolars had been moved to his own accounts through a complex scheme, and issued a mandate for him to be tried in a court in France, he once again came up to an excuse that he is under Lebanon's jurisdiction so he can't be judged in France It is beyond unbelievable the amount of times you can clearly see the lies and manipulation tactics A true criminal mind Oh and special mention to criminals, father and son Taylor, the masterminds behind the whole escape plan, certainly looking for a hefty paycheck, whom ended up being caught and extradited back to Japan, and finally felt victimized as they had to be in solitary confinement while Ghosn was free in Lebanon They also complain about not being paid what they were due and not being able to cover legal fees Word of advice, stay away from crime, and you won't end up in jail where criminals belong Here's hoping that justice is served one day.

This is more akin to a vanity project in order to make himself look innocent, but I couldn't find any info if Carlos is the money behind this. It sure plays like it is. Only one tough question regarding financing a 50MM yacht and he responds that he uses it and employs the workers on it. Wow, this is what we are lead up to? This is the gotcha moment? Endless talk about a hard drive and laptop yet no real info is gleaned from it. The fact that this guy was able to head 2 major car companies in different countries for so long and through downturns is a major feat. He managed to turn around Nissan in one year which just shows you how inefficient it actually was. If you are looking for any real proof with this doc you're going to be disappointed. It's mostly a puff piece, non stop interviews with little to no actual proof of anything. I was looking for some insight into how he managed to get a car company on the verge of failing back on track, but all we get is that he cut some jobs. The same goes for his crimes, he's suspected of funneling funds but all we are shown is some guys talking about emails. Lame. It's like the absolute bare minimum of research was done. Only the Apple brand is able to get all of these people to talk and of course the closing credit stream reveals more info than anything in this production. Poorly produced. Zero research, all talk and no actual documents or info provided. 2/10 for highlighting a topic that I'll have to get more info from an actual real source.

It's a slow character building documentary. In some ways you feel leading you to think a certain way. However, that story changes as the documentary moves on. If people are looking for a high actioned thriller don't watch this. It is a character building story with much to learn and speculate about. I guess Carlos has got his wish to be remembered! Weather history plays him out to be a a victim or villain only time will tell. But if you are looking for something to watch and are happy to see the building of a story this I would recommend. Otherwise you might be wasting your time if you want something fast paced.