Review of Che: Part One (2008) by Gareth M — 12 Jul 2010

This is an epic with both the talent (director Soderberg and star del Toro) and the budget well and truely on show, and one that is justified in its 4+ hour running time. The story of Ernesto 'Che' Guverra is a great story, and this film manages to capture the scope and global shifting events that took place whilst keeping the character grounded and essentially human.

As engaging as the story is, it does at times feel like a tale without a narrative. Being the first part of two, it never builds to a satisfying conclusion, nor feels as though it knows where it's going. Flitting back and forth between two key events is a good way to break up events, but it frequently feels as though we're getting the dot-points. For example, the movie never gives us a reason why Che joins Castro in leading a revolution, other than Castro spooling of a set of statistics for him. The film can effectively rely on the power of performance at these times, but it can make the movie feel cold.