Review of Che: Part One (2008) by Byron B — 16 Mar 2009

Che: Part One is more exciting, politically intriguing and revealing in the personalities of the major players of the Cuban revolution, especially Che's humanity. The story begins with Che meeting Fidel Castro for the first time in Mexico.

The two of them with a small band of friends are interested in communist/socialist revolution and agrarian reform to bring down the powers that be and redistribute power and land in Cuba. They head to Cuba to start fighting.

The film adds interest by cutting between this action in the mid-50's and a time when Che spoke at the U.N. and was interviewed about a decade later. Che was not a stupid god-less revolutionary with a gun.

He had philosophy and facts and strong ideals about improving the human condition. He had a good education, he was a doctor, an asthmatic, an avid reader, he kept diaries, he saved many men after ambushes, he offered free medical care to peasants, he wanted the rebels to know how to read and write, he punished those who raped and stole food from the peasants, and he had great determination.

You don't see how things are run after the revolutionaries come to power, and there is quite a gap in what happens in Che's life between the two parts of the movie, but this part is a thrilling biopic of a man and a revolution I knew very little about.