Che Part Two

Posted on February 16, 2009 at 11:02 am by lkeddie | Permalink

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Released 20th February 2009

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After the triumph and final jubilation of Part One, director Steven Soderbergh’s equally lengthy second instalment concludes the biography of the charismatic leader, Che Guevara. But the departing feeling with Part Two is one of sadness and despair, rather than inspiration, because we know the outcome of Guevara’s Bolivian struggle.

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Benicio Del Toro is as intense and mesmerising as in the first, pouring his all into the part to bring the historic figure alive. His portrayals of Che’s asthma attacks are uncomfortably convincing to watch, but also demonstrate Del Toro’s incredible acting talent, in that, he, indirectly, emphasises the strength of mind and determination of this guerrilla leader in persevering for a cause he truly believed in, even though his health was at stake. As ever, Del Toro brings painstaking detail and credibility to his role.

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Some of the most memorable and moving moments come at the end of the film, with the imminent capture of Che by Bolivian troops as he reloads his weapon behind a rock, and the simply breathtaking final scene after he is executed, with point-of-view camera angles as his life ebbs away. Apart from these poignant scenes, the action, which is more developed, cinematically, than the first, comes in sporadic bursts as each guerrilla fighter is picked off by troops — often off camera in a kind of non-titillating respect for each character. It is coupled with the grittiness and harsh reality — like a survival show — of living (and often starving) in the mountainous regions of a foreign land that they are trying to ‘free’. The frustration at the lack of support is infectious and translates well, as the peasantry do not respond to armed revolution as they did in Cuba. There are also the amazing, sweeping panoramic views of the barren and dangerous landscape that echo the paranoia and growing isolation of Che and his fighters by the locals and even the original Cuban militants, who are enjoying the luxuries of change in Cuba.

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Part Two effectively concludes the first film, with Soderbergh’s admirable and consistent emphasis on portraying daily existence living with Che and his revolutionaries, including their fraught relationships, rather than being tempted to concentrate on action sequences to inject mainstream appeal. This is almost an intricate life study of Che Guevara and his motivations, and whilst it could be argued that parts could have been edited, the tardy pace accentuates the patience of Che and his followers in achieving their cause, only for fate to put an end to the struggle.

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By Lisa Keddie

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Synopsis

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Following the success of the Cuban Revolution, Che Guevara is at the peak of his fame and power when he vanishes without a trace. Resurfacing some time later in the jungles of Bolivia, Guevara sets about recruiting a new band of insurgents to help him spread the revolutionary message across the rest of Latin America. But as the Bolivian government and the CIA close in on him, this will prove to be his most dangerous campaign yet.

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Film Facts

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Official UK site: http://www.che-movie.co.uk/

UK Release Date: 20th February 2009

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Writers: Peter Buchman, Benjamin A. van der Veen

Cast: Benicio Del Toro (‘Ernesto Che Guevara‘), Demian Bichir (‘Fidel Castro‘), Elvira Minguez (‘Celia Sánchez’), Jorge Perugorria (’Vilo’), Edgar Ramirez (’Ciro Redondo García’), Victor Rasuk (’Rogelio Acevedo’), Armando Riesco (’Benigno’), Catalina Sandino Moreno (’Aleida March’), Rodrigo Santoro (’Raúl Castro‘)