4/4  Remember that Ernesto was, in first place, a Dr.
Just as I can think about Irreversible as misoginist propaganda, people has the right to think that this is comunist one. Well. I don't think so. Guevara's persona is one of the most important persons in history, and that's undeniable (pls... (read full)

3.5/4  Great movie, propaganda only for shallowheads
This was a great movie (both parts) portraying the life and death of Ernesto "Che" Guevara. I can only feel sorry for people calling it a "communist propaganda film" (it's way more complex) as they're obviously too drawn into american impe... (read full)

1/4  Communist proganda film
A communist pushing film, not because it shows Che's story but because it just skips over the part about his nice executions he was involved in. Yes there are the U.N mentioning but it is inter spliced with an execution of just two bad reb... (read full)

1/4  Che Quick Review
looks well made but actually its not. first of all,this movie is very unnecessary.and very boring, there is no actin, how come they ggave del toro best actor in cannes. if there must be a movie about che, should not be directed by soderberh

3/5 Man of the revolution
  by E. A Solinas (MD USA)
Steven Soderbergh created one of those movies that is lucky to have been made at all -- a four-hour-plus biopic of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara.

But like most biographical movies, it's something of a mixed bag. Visually atmosphere and low-key in style, the two halves of "Che" focus on pivotal slices of Guevara's life, with an amazing lead performance by Benicio Del Toro as the titular revolutionary. Unfortunately, it's also a very slow-moving affair that brushes past some of the more unsavory facets of Che Guevara's life and personality... and ironically many of the positive ones.

Part 1: In the 1960s, Guevara (Benicio Del Toro) is in New York City for a UN conference, being interviewed by a US reporter about his viewpoints as a guerilla leader and revolutionary. Then the narrative jumps back a decade to when he and others (including Fidel Castro) consider the many injustices over in Cuba and start planning for a revolution. Despite being Argentinian by birth, Che follows them to Cuba and joins the guerilla revolution.

But despite his start as a medic, Che began showing talents in other areas, and becomes a leader of the guerilla outlaws in the Cuban countryside. He grapples with his own ill health (asthma), the loss of his compatriots and the attacks from the military, which also threaten some of the non-revolutionaries -- and as time goes on, their revolution gained power and notice, and began the ultimate battle for control of Cuba.

Part 2: Later in life, Guevera comes to Bolivia disguised as a bespectacled bald businessman, with the intent of fighting another revolution in that country. But this revolution doesn't go as well as the Cuban one (for Che): shortages in food, internal betrayal, and one of their contacts (Franka Potente) goofs up royally. As Guevera's health deteriorates, the Bolivian army and the CIA take measures to quash his guerilla forces...

Rather than the usual biographical movie format, Steven Soderbergh approaches "Che" as if he were filming a documentary. There are no scenes of little Che being kicked by a rich guy or melodramatic subplots -- it's quite literally a slice of the pivotal point of Che Guevara's life, and a 1960s shakycam interview adds to that feeling. As an added note of authenticity, almost all of the dialogue is in Spanish rather than poorly-accented English, giving a you-are-there feel.

The storyline is rather slow, speeding up gradually as the revolution really heats up... only to slow back down in the second half with Guevera's decline. Most of the story is devoted to the guerillas staggering through the countryside, living in rough shacks and campsites. Even the landscapes reflect the ascent and descent of Guevera's power -- the first half is crammed with lush, vibrant jungle life, and the second is a washed-out, grey expanse of scrubby brush. Unfortunately, this means that over four hours, the story often drags like a ripped parachute.

But despite the slowness, each movie climaxes with some revolutionary action. Pinging gunshots, explosions, tanks, tense chases through deserted streets and burning trains all play a part in the harrowing finales of each half, which are all the worst because you know that all this mayhem actually took place.

Del Toro is, to put it mildly, astonishing as Guevara -- not only is he a dead ringer physically (with the right facial hair and clothes), but he exudes a quiet charisma, literate intelligence and power that make you see exactly why someone might follow him if they agreed with his politics. No one else in the story really gets to stand out, but Del Toro simply IS the cast all by himself.

Yet ironically it's a piously bland, virtuous portrait of Guevera. Soderbergh wimps out on the cruel, extremist sides of his personality and the regime he helped create; on the other hand, he also brushes over the man's fierce intellect, his writing, and world interests. It feels like we're looking at one mirrored facet of a very complex man, and surely more of who he was -- the good, the bad AND the ugly -- could have been included.

It's obvious Soderbergh put a lot of heart into producing the raw, realistic "Che," but his glorification and simplication of a controversial figure drags down his labor of love.

3/5 Revolution's beginning
  by E. A Solinas (MD USA)
Steven Soderbergh created one of those movies that is lucky to have been made at all -- a four-hour-plus biopic of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara.

But even split in half, it's something of a mixed bag. "Che - Part 1: Argentine" is a visually gorgeous and low-key piece of work that focuses on the pivotal slices of Guevara's life, with an amazing lead performance by Benicio Del Toro as the titular revolutionary. Unfortunately, it's also a very slow-moving affair that brushes past some of the more unsavory facets of Che Guevara's life and personality... and ironically many of the positive ones.

In the 1960s, Guevara (Benicio Del Toro) is in New York City for a UN conference, being interviewed by a US reporter about his viewpoints as a guerilla leader and revolutionary. Then the narrative jumps back a decade to when he and others (including Fidel Castro) consider the many injustices over in Cuba and start planning for a revolution. Despite being Argentinian by birth, Che follows them to Cuba and joins the guerilla revolution.

But despite his start as a medic, Che began showing talents in other areas, and becomes a leader of the guerilla outlaws in the Cuban countryside. He grapples with his own ill health (asthma), the loss of his compatriots and the attacks from the military, which also threaten some of the non-revolutionaries -- and as time goes on, their revolution gained power and notice, and began the ultimate battle for control of Cuba.

Rather than the usual biographical movie format, Steven Soderbergh approaches "Che - Part 1: Argentine" as if he were filming a documentary. There are no scenes of little Che being kicked by a rich guy or melodramatic subplots -- it's quite literally a slice of the pivotal point of Che Guevara's life, and a 1960s shakycaminterview adds to that feeling. As an added note of authenticity, almost all of the dialogue is in Spanish rather than poorly-accented English, giving a you-are-there feel.

Much of the story is devoted to the guerillas staggering through lush, richly green countryside, and living in very rough surroundings; while the storyline is rather slow, it speeds up gradually as Guevara grows in influence and the revolution really heats up. Pinging gunshots, explosions, tanks, tense chases through deserted streets and burning trains all play a part in the harrowing finale, all the more so because you know that all this mayhem actually took place.

Del Toro is, to put it mildly, astonishing as Guevara -- not only is he a dead ringer physically (with the right facial hair and clothes), but he exudes a quiet charisma, literate intelligence and power that make you see exactly why someone might follow him if they agreed with his politics. No one else in the story really gets to stand out, but Del Toro simply IS the cast all by himself.

Yet ironically it's a piously bland, virtuous portrait of Guevera. Soderbergh wimps out on the cruel, extremist sides of his personality and the regime he helped create; on the other hand, he also brushes over the man's fierce intellect, his writing, and world interests. It feels like we're looking at one mirrored facet of a very complex man, and surely more of who he was -- the good, the bad AND the ugly -- could have been included.

It's obvious Soderbergh put a lot of heart into producing the raw, realistic "Che - Part 1: Argentine," but his glorification and simplication of a controversial figure drags the first half of his labor of love.

2/5 Disappointing.
  by ChiCho (NJ United States)
Mind you, I was excited to hear about a CHE film in the works.. Though Del Toro doesnt look like Che, I knew his talent would pull it off. And it did very impressively. However, throughtout this marathon of film.. I found myself getting bored and feeling nothing for the characters. It literally felt like we were in the jungle for Days along with them. The flow, character development, musical score was lacking and Ultra Bland at best. As pointed out by others, many key points in Che's life were left out and the stories were not very well put together. Soderberghs' "experimental" technique RUINED what could have been an Epic film. In the hands of another director, who knows how great this film would have been. I actually felt sad for Del Toro when I learned about how many years he spent researching/preparing for this role. I think "Motorcylcle Diaries" and "Fidel" offered more moving portrayals of these men.

5/5 Extraordinary Film about an extraordinary moment in history!
  by John D. Sullivan (Cincinnati)
Steven Soderbergh's film "Che" is simply amazing in its non-commercial approach to the iconic revolutionary. This is not your standard Hollywood bio but rather an intelligent, more introspective telling of the main events surrounding Che Guevara's role in the Cuban revolution and the events that led to his death in Bolivia. The first film deals with the former,the second with the latter. Benicio Del Toro's performance is simply both captivating and amazing. Mr.Soderberg's direction is effective and moving. He films both parts differently to emphasize the joy and optimism of the guerillas winning the revolution in Cuba and does the opposite for the events leading to Che's fall in Bolivia. However long the movie bears repeated viewings to capture all the nuances and details. Make no mistake this is an important,serious film that deserved better than the limited play it received at the theaters. Thankfully this can be remedied now on this blu-ray criterion release.

5/5 CHE - Criterion Collection Box set Is the definitive release
  by Roberto L. Santana

In an attempt to clear the confusion relating to the recently released UK & Canadian "CHE" DVD versions (Available separately or Part 1 & 2 together) these DVD's are the Movies w/ limited extras which came out in August 2009. The newly Pre-Order-able (Now) for Jan. 19th 2010 release Criterion Collection Box set 3 Disc & 2 Disc Blu-ray are the definitive releases of this uncompromising masterpiece. (details Below)

[...]

Disc Features

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION:

High-definition digital masters, supervised and approved by director Steven Soderbergh, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
New audio commentaries featuring Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
Making "Che," a new documentary featuring Soderbergh, producer Laura Bickford, actor-producer Benicio del Toro, and writers Peter Buchman and Ben van der Veen
Interviews with participants in and historians of the Cuban Revolution and Che's Bolivian campaign
End of a Revolution, a short documentary made in Bolivia right after Che's execution in 1967
"Che" and the Digital Cinema Revolution, an original video piece looking at the RED camera and its effect on modern film production
Deleted scenes
Theatrical trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin
NOTE: Che: Part One appears in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Che: Part Two appears in 1.78:1 aspect ratio.