Steven Soderberg is the kind of director that can be (in a sense)compared with directors such as Michael Apted & Jonathan Demme. They like to direct mainstream,money making,popcorn escapist fare that thrills 'em at the major cineplexes. But he also has an equal eye for the arthouses that prefer to screen quirky,off centre films for those who like brains,as well as entertainment. When I heard last year that Soderberg was about to release a four hour,plus biography of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, I thought, "I'm there,if it turns up at one of the cinemas in my area". One year (plus)later,the hope became a reality. Benecio Del Toro stars as the ill fated Argentine that assists Fidel Castro topple the corrupt Battista regime in 1959 (tho not without many lives lost during the nearly five year struggle that it took). The film also gets some good mileage from the rest of the supporting cast (including a nearly unrecognizable Matt Damon in a role that if you blink,you'll miss him). The film is not without a few minor flaws. At times,the pacing can be slow as a snail. Don't let this deter you from seeing this otherwise fine film biography of a man who was more than just a face on a T-shirt that one can find at Hot Topics. Not rated,this film contains some raunchy language & violence, some of it fairly bloody. Released as two separate parts, 'Che-Part One:The Argentine',and it's follow up, 'Che-Part Two:Guerilla' was originally screened as one complete film in it's original release.
Review of Che: Part One
