Review of Che: Part One (2008) by Ryan S — 18 Mar 2009

Disjointed, yet still admirable. Del Toro is very good, there is no doubting that, embodying the titular character instead of simply acting like him, and the films framing and narrative device (cutting between Che's conquest in the jungles in the mid to late 50's and his speech to the UN in 1965) lends well to deepening the situation Che's fight both in the battle field and in the political ring.

Still, the film feels long because some of the cuts to and fro the two different situations set the film's pace aback slightly, as does the fact that the many skirmishes Che faces are shot in a very traditional manner.

Granted, it's nice to see Soderbergh not shooting his action like everyone else does today, but it would have been better to feel the battle sequences more instead of just observing them. Instead of a heated revolution, much of the horror of war is lost.

Plus, the film rushes into the situation too much, taking little time to actually set up Che's character; instead, the assumption that you know enough about the man is taken at the very beginning of the film, as Che is already meeting Fidel Castro and preparing for the revolution.

Again, an admirable film, but nothing to celebrate considering Soderbergh's previously achieved brilliance.