Part One of Soderbergh’s Che epic dismantles the clichés and myths to craft a dream-like if frustrating essay on the heroism and the claustrophobia of war, perfectly centred by a compelling star performance.
Comment
01/05/09
Che, Part One (2008)
72
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:39
Fresh:28
Rotten:11
Average Rating:6.5/10
Theatrical Release:02-01-2009
Synopsis: Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh delivers this ambitious and sprawling biopic of one of the 20th century's most influential political figures. In the first 137-minute segment, THE ARGENTINE, we meet... [More]
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Demian Bichir, Santiago Cabrera, Elvira Minguez
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Reviews for Che, Part One
Top CriticIt’s not a Hollywood-style movie – it demands patience and proper attention – but it’s a great movie, and rewards magnificently.
01/05/09
Top CriticChe: Part One is the first half of a long movie rather than a satisfying screen experience in its own right, and should clearly be approached as such.
01/05/09
Top CriticWhile Soderbergh is not entirely in thrall to the legend of Che, this is not the most critical of portraits.
01/05/09
Top CriticIt is far from being a biopic, more a cinematic extrapolation of Che's iconic status, and by that token it may exasperate some. Others will be engrossed by this flawed, sprawling, intriguing movie.
01/05/09
Top CriticSoderbergh directs like a tactician at the map-table, ever assessing the importance of the next ridge. This is of some interest, but he has overthought it, and muddled the importance of Che himself, who cuts an aloof and reproving figure.
01/05/09
Top CriticThere's no spark or fire or passion - just a series of episodic military operations unfolding with only the odd minor reverse to spoil the party and Che going through several changes of facial ware.
01/05/09
Committed and commanding, slow but stealthy, political and powerful: details are omitted, but Che still sees Soderbergh flexing fierce focus and control, while Del Toro leads with tact and muscle. The full four-hour flick grips; two hours’ll fly by, easy.
01/05/09
A strong early candidate for the most agonisingly tedious film of 2009.
01/05/09
Soderbergh keeps the story straightforward and subdued, rather than layering in the action and the drama. At times it even gets a bit dull.
01/05/09
We get a jumbled mess where moments of glory are overrun by suicidal editing. The major territorial gains include Benicio Del Toro, who is magnificent as Che – a mixture of intellectual reserve and twinkling charm.
01/05/09
Che is a heroic guerrilla project in its way. It’s just that these guerrillas get lost in a mist of opaque purpose and ill-defined movie mission.
01/05/09
For all the drama that surrounded them, Soderbergh never gets under the skin of either Che Guevara or Fidel Castro. We can only hope that the psychological dimensions will be illuminated in the next part.
01/05/09
If you discover a lot about the process and progress of the revolution, this is definitely not the cultural hero of myth, breathtakingly bathed in revolutionary light.
01/05/09
Superbly directed, intriguingly non-traditional biopic with a terrific central performance from Benicio Del Toro.
01/05/09
This film has a striking structure and powerful performances that bring the story to life and add provocative modern-day parallels.
01/05/09
I have not sensed such movie pomposity since Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra entered Rome on a juggernaut borne by slaves. Che comes in at 257 minutes-worth of arrogance - it's so long that director Steven Soderbergh has had to play Solomon and cut it in two
01/02/09
Those who have read something about this will get more out of the movies, but it's not compulsory. I saw both parts in one day and the experience was absorbing.
10/01/09
The Guevara portrayed here has humour but no irony: his commitment to the revolutionary ethos leaves little room for doubt, neurosis, or private loyalties of any kind.
10/01/09
Soderbergh has made two almost perfect war films, more like the Rings Trilogy than The Green Berets.
10/01/09
Latest News for Che, Part One
December 11, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Keanu Invasion Begins at Box Office
Keanu Reeves invades multiplexes across North America with his new sci-fi actioner The Day the Earth Stood Still which opens five years to the day after the actor's last stint... More...
December 09, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
November 04, 2008:
Soderbergh Is Making Jack Falcone
Fresh off collaborating on "Che," Peter Buchman and Steven Soderbergh have lined up "Making Jack Falcone," a project The Hollywood Reporter describes as "an undercover mob story... More...
October 01, 2008:
Soderbergh Still Hungry for More Che
Steven Soderbergh's "Che" is already two parts and over four hours long, but the director insists there's still story left to tell. More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds