The persuasiveness of the film’s reconstructions is impressive, but there is hardly ever any tension. It’s hard to tell exactly what Soderbergh was hoping to achieve.
Che, Part Two (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:37
Fresh:28
Rotten:9
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: The second part of Soderbergh’s biopic is a dark, hypnotic and sometimes frustrating portrait of a warrior in decline, with a terrific central performance from Del Toro.
Theatrical Release:20-02-2009
Synopsis: Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh delivers this ambitious and sprawling biopic of one of the 20th Century's most influential political figures. In the second 130-minute segment, GUERILLA, Ernesto... Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh delivers this ambitious and sprawling biopic of one of the 20th Century's most influential political figures. In the second 130-minute segment, GUERILLA, Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Benicio Del Toro) has abandoned Cuba in order to start an even more daunting Latin-American revolution. He starts in Bolivia where, using a pseudonym, Che begins training his cobbled-together forces. This time around, however, Che's asthma is taking a greater toll, and the odds are stacked much higher against him. Yet even when the cause appears to be lost, Che remains defiant. Having accomplished the impossible in Cuba, he is determined to do the same thing here. But unfortunately time catches up to him, putting an end to his mission once and for all. For the second segment of his two-part epic, Soderbergh changes his style, reflecting the tougher battle that Che confronted in Bolivia. Gone is the glorious widescreen photography; replacing it is a more claustrophobic 1:85 ratio. Also gone is the tripod, which produces a much more frenetic, unstable effect for the viewer. As Che wheezes his way through the woods, learning of the loss of more and more soldiers, Soderbergh prepares us, through his cinematography and Alberto Iglesias's foreboding score, for his inevitable fall from glory. Once again, Del Toro is phenomenal in bringing the notorious Che to life on screen. Watched in succession, Soderbergh and Del Toro's CHE is a grueling experience, yet it is rewarding in a way that few films are. [More]
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Carlos Bardem, Demian Bichir, Joaquim de Almeida
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Carlos Bardem, Demian Bichir, Joaquim de Almeida, Eduard Fernandez, Marc-Andre Grondin, Oscar Jaenada, Kahlil Mendez, Elvira Minguez, Matt Damon, Jordi Molla, Ruben Ochandiano, Julia Ormond, Gaston Pauls, Lou Diamond Phillips, Franka Potente, Rodrigo Santoro, Mark Umbers, Yul Vazquez
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Screenwriter: Peter Buchman
Producer: Laura Bickford, Benicio Del Toro, Steven Soderbergh
Composer: Alberto Iglesias
Reviews for Che, Part Two
It's well staged, but a good deal less gripping than the first part and the political background is less clear than it might have been.
The saving graces are a commanding performance from Del Toro and the inspirational humanity of Guevara; even facing defeat and death he still has an unshakable belief that right will prevail and social justice will flourish.
Che Two is deeply impressive: austerely confident, coherent and mysterious.
Benicio Del Toro is superb as the asthmatic, pipe-smoking Che, while the supporting cast capture the frustration of a disintegrating armed struggle.
This plodding, one-paced, dramatically inert movie is almost entirely surface description.
Having given us Che the icon, Del Toro now gives us Che the man: an asthmatic, flawed individual, powerless to prevent events spiralling out of his control. The film itself is far less compelling.
Like Guevara’s slog through the Bolivian undergrowth, Che Part Two is a hallucinatory journey into the heart of darkness, defined by a performance of great presence.
A gripping, astringent portrayal of what happens when you try to force a revolution on territory which isn't fertile ground, in and of itself, Soderbergh's second instalment exerts a certain analytical intrigue.
Darker in tone and more introspective thematically, Che: Part 2 is the more interesting of the two films.
His film is brilliantly shot, capturing the chilly bareness of the landscapes through which the rebels yomp, but it's formalist and clinical to a degree that will challenge viewers eager to identify with the figures it depicts.
Che Part 2 is still problematic in that it unfolds at a glacial pace. Though it's at times hypnotic in its lethargy, the episodic structure is not easy to trudge through.
Director Steven Soderbergh's one-dimensional portrait of the revolutionary hero continues unabated in the second part of his over-reverential biopic.
Gripping, elusive and something to be experienced, Che Part Two continues to offer up surprises, frustration and - above all - fascination.
Soderbergh deserves all credit for attempting a very un-Hollywood project, an objective, forensic war film in the lineage of Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers, and as Benicio del Toro is convincing as the warrior in decline.
This second part of the Che saga is beautifully presented but annoyingly rambling at times.
This film is stronger than the first. The pale, sepulchral tones give a ritualistic eeriness to the long pursuit scenes.
It’s expertly made, mind you, and features a performance from Benicio Del Toro, practically masked in whiskers, that is both brave and sincere, like the mistaken Che himself.
Meticulous in its showing of the nuts-and-bolts of jungle warfare, it may be the closest we'll ever get to an art-house action movie. As a tribute to Che, it beats a T-shirt.
Latest News for Che, Part Two
January 04, 2009:
Video Exclusive: Benicio del Toro talks Che and Wolf Man
Benicio Del Toro faced his greatest acting challenge when he took on the role of Ernesto "Che" Guevara for what would become a four-hour epic tale of the iconic revolutionary's... More...
December 09, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
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