Che

Che is a supremely entertaining film from the ingenious talent of Steven Soderbergh. Che is a bio-pic centered on the revolutionary life and times of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. It begins with a mundane dinner scene in which Ernesto joins a group comprised of many likeminded revolutionaries, including Fidel Castro. This well-done scene launches the subtitle-dubbed, two-hour epic into a fury of action, passion, and politics.

Soderbergh’s Che is divided into two parts, which are aptly entitled The Argentine and Guerrilla. They run two hours and nine and eight minutes, respectively. The first chronicles Ernesto’s revolutionary triumph in Cuba, and briefly displays his foray into world affairs. The second details Che's attempt to further his socialist ideology into South America. A trip by Ernesto to the UN is shown intermittently throughout Part One in a passé yet functional black-and-white. Coupled with his contentious UN discourse is an interview with Lisa Howard also shot in an effectual black-and-white. Through this query-based medium some striking and poignant lines are delivered that encapsulate one’s image of Che and of the film’s tone. She questions Che about his worldwide acclaim and his politics concerning America-Cuba relations. The rest of the film is devoted Che’s and Fidel’s conquering of Cuba.

It all starts in that aforementioned dinner scene where a band of insurrectionists join together to topple a despotic Cuban leader Batista. Their initial strength is far from sufficient, so after months of further preparation they begin the fight. It is a long and hard-fought battle for both sides, yet in the end the 26th of July Movement is triumphant. With this new found control, Fidel asserts himself as a dictator of sorts (albeit much less repressive than his antagonist Batista). Che is endowed with the position of Head of Industry and was the de facto arbiter of economic policy. Throughout the skirmish, Che’s position oscillates from what would be a general-equivalent to an unassuming recruiter. Che often expresses frustration with Fidel’s leadership and with the movement in general; however, Che puts it best in his New York interview in that, “a revolutionary goes where he is needed.”

There is minuscule time lapse from the first to the second part. The beginning of the Part Two chronicles Che’s departure from Cuba and Fidel’s and the Cuban people’s reaction to said exodus. It then skips straight from his economic leadership in Cuba to his efforts in Bolivia, while glossing over his myriad of failures in Congo, Mozambique, and various other parts of his native South America. This revolution is much less effective than his staggering feat in Cuba. His labors hardly produce a quantifiable positive result; conversely they attract attention to him which he’d rather avoid. The latter half of Che Part Two is Che evading enemy hands. Ultimately, despite Che’s best efforts, the CIA captures, tortures, and executes the dynamic Ernesto Che Guevara. At the close of Part Two, footage is brought back from the first part to remind the audience of Che’s domineering presence and worldwide esteem. It harkens back to the dinner meeting that commenced it all, most notably when Fidel promises Che that he will be permitted to spread this revolutionary fervor across the globe.

All in all, Part One is likely the better film, but incomplete without its counterpart. Part Two was missing some sense of history or tie to world politics as one had in Che’s speech to the General Assembly and his interview with Howard. Both are incredible achievements and together formulate a political and human epic. Soderbergh’s Che will likely never be forgotten and is undoubtedly a masterpiece of bio-pic cinema.