Che, 2009

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring:  Benicio Del Toro; Lou Diamond Philips; Santiago Cabrera; Catalina Sandino Moreno.
IMDB Link:  Che, Part One; Che, Part Two

sez says:  oh, it is so, so long. This, actually, is two films: the early days (in the mountains of Cuba with Fidel) and the later days (in the mountains of Bolivia). You need to be motivated to sit through the entire 4 1/2 hours.  Del Toro's acting helps make it easier than you might expect.  This is Soderbergh's version of Che's life as a revolutionary.  And, while it is a reasonable view, and a well done film I think it falls short in making the magic of Che come alive. It doesn't get off the ground in answering the question, Who was Che?  But maybe that is because Che's legacy is that he is a hero to so many, we each make him into who we want him to be in our own imagination.  So any effort to pin him down, define him or make him a concrete exact character will fail because no one will point of view will fit everyone's fantasy of him. 

mjc says:  The first film is, by far and away, the most powerful for me.  Perhaps that is because I have such a fantasy idea of the Cuban Revolution, or because the revolution succeeds on its own terms, whereas, in Bolivia, it is a disaster.  It is a big reach and almost makes it.