Benicio Del Toro, Demian Bichir, Santiago Cabrera

In 1956, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara (Benicio Del Toro) and a band of Castro-led Cuban exiles mobilize an army to topple the regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista. This is intercut with a 1964 trip to New Y...( read more  read more... )ork City to address the United Nations and be interviewed.

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76% liked it

12,958 ratings

Critics

62% liked it

R, 126 min.

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Release Date: January 24, 2009

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Flixster Reviews (1,787)


  • November 12, 2009
    Perhaps Ernesto "Che" Guevara is the most recognizable historic figure as well as a pop culture icon. Well, maybe tied with Jesus H. Christ. Around the world, many wear Che's image as a fashion statement without knowing his story. Part One is vintage Soderbergh. He has a visi...( read more)on for telling the tale not only of Guevara's struggle and courage, but also the politics and relationships. The black and white, stock footage feel of the encounter at the U.N. was great and a better understanding of what exactly was at stake and how the people involved in the revolution were affected by the war.

    The first film is intriguing and the battle scenes are done really well. Along with Benicio's acting chops, special mention should be given to Demián Bichir as Fidel Castro who I felt might have given Del Toro a run for his money if they shared equal screen time. Cinematography is top notch and the film's pacing made me want to jump right into watching part 2.

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  • July 7, 2009
    On occassion Soderbergh has let cinematic style distract from the substance of his movies. At times this has worked to his advantage, like in the Ocean's series, and at other times I felt it overwhelmed (Traffic, where some of the palattes were too artificial for th...( read more)e subject matter). Here, he has given himself a tough charge, and stylistically, at least, he has pulled off a masterwork. The mixed-media cinematography is sumptuous (with one shot reminding me quite strongly of a similar set-up by Terrence Malik); the sound too is well engineered, and it was unquestionably the right choice to shoot in Spanish.

    I like the film's ligering structure, but where it falls down is when one scrutinises its substance. We are given a thread of connected nodes into events he was part of, but we have little insight into his motivations, or the events of the Cuban revolution. All we get is snatches. Now this was a deliberate choice of the film-makers, and there are times when it works well. But sometimes it is simply frustrating.
  • April 16, 2009
    Late Post:

    The words "Romancing Guevara" came to mind about 30 mins right after I started watching this film.

    A 2 part biopic of the legendary icon. Part One shows Guevarra starting of as a doctor, and how he chose
    ...( read more) to take in a bigger role in Fidel Castros cuban revolution.

    As much as I liked this film, I only have 3 complaints about it. It was just too long and confusing at times, as there were parts on the film that jumped from one scene to another, but as far as how it shows Che's life, and his ideals and beliefs, Soderbergh and Del Torro did a pretty good job with it. I cant help but be amazed at this man and what he did for his country, his courage, his thoughts and what he had managed to become at a very young age.

    I thought it was all very informative, but maybe they shouldve sold the DVD as a set and not separately. I thought I was getting both parts when I got it. Pfft!

    Anyway, just make sure you get a comfy chair and youre not stressed out when you watch this, as its.. a very, very long movie and youll need to watch it with the subtitles on.

    Directed by: Steven Soderbergh


  • March 20, 2009
    The first part of Che isn't a bad piece of filmmaking. Stephen Soderbergh brings his usual style which definitely works and does an amazing job of bringing aesthetic authenticity And Benicio Del Toro is amazing as usual. Admittedly my knowledge of Guevara doesn't extend far beyon...( read more)d a Wikipedia page and even though it pains me to admit that the finer details of the story were sometimes hard to follow, the gorgeous scenery and cinematography more than made up for it. I wasn't exactly willing to stay up until 5:30 in the morning to see where this goes with the second part, but I'm still curious.
  • March 16, 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 f...( read more)riends 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.
  • November 9, 2009
    Setting aside some shoddy editing, Che: Part One is both well acted and well directed.
  • October 8, 2009
    good & real about Cuba's revolution & people's determination to fight for the cause... a fave Benicio Del Toro was fantastic...
  • September 18, 2009
    Aprendimos a quererte
    desde la histórica altura
    donde el sol de tu bravura
    le puso cerco a la muerte.

    Aquí se queda la clara,
    la entrañable transparencia,
    de tu querida presencia
    Comandante Che Guevara.

    Tu mano gloriosa y fuerte
    sobre la historia dispara
    cuando todo Santa Clara...( read more)
    se despierta para verte.
  • September 13, 2009
    it's a big challenge for ppl who are not that familiar with che's story to really get into the movie, and it almost like a documentry film & not as sentimental and entertaining as i thought. Anyway, if you ever felt touched by "the motorcycle diaries", it would be a nice one to k...( read more)now better about che.
  • September 7, 2009
    Great film. i didnt know much about che but this movie is really great. its a must.

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  • gitamadhu1
    June 26, 2008
    is this the same film as Che-The taking of Patty Hearst?

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