Che - 1ère partie : L'Argentin

Revolutionary ideas from the red fast food, characterization procedures from socialist realism, with the execution being only slightly above average. A very sickly film which, instead of thoughts and tension, evokes Molotov's chewed Leninist theses for contemporary salon communists. Del Toro = the only bright spot of this uncritical agitator. But how are we supposed to perceive an inspiring cardboard dummy with the face from the Guerrillero Heroico photo? Soderbergh and Buchman killed with theses even the relevant things that might have made us contemplate Che's ideas. (30/01/2009)

More of a documentary than a regular movie, but that makes it even more watchable. Del Toro’s acting is minimalist and sort of like a regular person, most of the time wanting to avoid attention (like Che himself at the beginning), basically his character forms by surrounding events, which I see as one of the greatest positives of the movie. Plus, Soderbergh did an excellent job of filming most battles and the shootouts ooze with animality and the documentary feel to it corresponds excellently with the narration. All this interspersed with a few lighter situations like the scene with Camilo and the ventriloquist, or the discussion with Fidel Castro and his brother Raul about the formation of a “free" Cuba. Shit! I missed! (15/02/2009)

Et moi qui me réjouissais tant ! :-( Enfin, une fois le film terminé, je me suis rendu compte qu’à part la trilogie des Ocean’s, je n’adhérais à aucune œuvre de Steven Soderbergh. Je suis conscient qu’il est incontestablement très difficile de tourner un film qui se base sur des faits historiques et qui reconstitue une période si marquante de l’histoire de Cuba au vingtième siècle, mais je pense aussi qu’il y aurait moyen de faire quelque chose de plus attrayant avec cette matière. Et ça, je trouve que Soderbergh n’y est pas du tout arrivé avec cette jungle dans laquelle on fait les quatre cents pas, les embrassades et autres gestes de bienvenue, les pansages de plaies… Tout le public aura bien compris que le Che Guevara était médecin et qu’il accueillait chaleureusement ses camarades, mais pas besoin d’en rajouter des couches et de prolonger le film de plusieurs dizaines de minutes rien que pour ça ! L’ensemble est désespérément soporifique et même le talentueux maître Benicio Del Toro ne peut redresser la barre. J’y réfléchirai à deux fois avant de me lancer dans la deuxième partie ! (12/01/2009)

When I was watching the movie "Che Guevara", I asked myself, what was Soderbergh actually trying to achieve? Did he want to make a biographical film? Or maybe a documentary? Was he trying to capture a person? Or an era? Or a revolution? Is it really about Guevara? Not really, even though we watch him for more than half of the runtime. Guevara coughs a lot. It's not surprising. His asthma didn't go well with the Cuban climate. For a few minutes, you feel like you can't hear anything else but the coughing. The film then drags on unbelievably. But alright, then comes the action, where the creators somewhat compensate for it. The action is good, very realistic, and you feel what kind of revolution it actually was. Then it calms down, we return to the camp, or straight to some old footage, or an interview that runs throughout the film. The film is sometimes presented as "Che Guevara - revolution", which only proves what it's actually about. Guevara's role in the revolution is described here, but above all, the revolution itself. It was a guerrilla revolution, of which Guevara was to undergo several in his life. It was during the Cuban revolution that he realized the true meaning of his life, the meaning of himself as a person. From the movie, I had the feeling that this is actually the only thing we learn about Guevara. For such a personality, I think it's a shame that we don't learn much more about him, more about his opinions, about his personality. We follow a person who accompanies us throughout the film, but it's as if he's always just that icon that doesn't reveal itself to us too much. Before watching this film, it would be appropriate to watch the movie "The Motorcycle Diaries". But you will be interested in what happened between the time when "The Motorcycle Diaries" ends and "Che Guevara" begins. How was the person born, according to whom achieving the freedom of the people was possible only through revolution, guerrilla war, which would overthrow the existing exploitative regime. I'm interested in Guevara as a person. "Che Guevara" is not a film that gives me all the answers. Actually, it doesn't answer many. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/12/umirajici-zvire-4-vanoce-slunce-seno-2.html (03/03/2013)

A huge disappointment, and from Steven Soderbergh no less. I tend to seek out biopics, but this one failed miserably. On one hand, uninspiring propaganda, and on the other hand, boundless boredom. Even the traditionally great Benicio Del Toro couldn't save it. (21/04/2020)