Che: Part One (The Argentine) (2008)
Average Rating: 6.3/10
Reviews Counted: 134
Fresh: 89 | Rotten: 45
Though lengthy and at times plodding, Soderbergh's vision and Benicio Del Toro's understated performance ensure that Che always fascinates.
Average Rating: 5.9/10
Critic Reviews: 29
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 12
Though lengthy and at times plodding, Soderbergh's vision and Benicio Del Toro's understated performance ensure that Che always fascinates.
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Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 18,510
Movie Info
Part 1 of Steven Soderbergh's Che Guevara saga stars Benicio Del Toro as the legendary Argentine revolutionary. The film opens with Che as one of the important figures in the growing Cuban rebellion led by Fidel Castro (Demián Bichir). The movie charts how the two successfully built an underground army large enough to successfully overthrow the government of Fulgencio Batista. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
R,
Art House & International, Drama
Peter Buchman, Benicio Del Toro, Steven Soderbergh, Benjamin A. van der Veen
Jan 24, 2009 Wide
Jul 14, 2009
$1.5M
IFC Films
Cast
-
Benicio Del Toro
Ernesto "Che" Guevara -
Javier Bardem
Fidel Castro -
Santiago Cabrera
Camillo Cienfuegos -
Julia Ormond
Lisa Howard -
-
Edgar Ramirez
Ciro Redondo -
Demian Bichir
Fidel Castro -
Armando Riesco
Benigno -
Catalina Sandino Moreno
Aleida Guevara -
Rodrigo Santoro
Raul Castro -
Unax Ugalde
Little Cowboy -
Yul Vázquez
Alejandro Ramirez -
Joaquim de Almeida
Barrientos -
Eduard Fernández
Ciro Algaranaz -
Marc-Andre Grondin
Regis Debray -
??scar Jaenada
Dario -
Kahlil Mendez
Urbano -
Matt Damon
Guest -
Jordi Molla
Capt. Vargas -
Rubén Ochandiano
Rolando -
Gastón Pauls
Ciros Bustos -
Lou Diamond Phillips
Mario Monje -
Mark Umbers
Roth -
-
-
Elvira Mínguez
Celia Sanchez -
Jorge Perugorría
Joaquin -
Victor Rasuk
Rogelio Acevedo
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All Critics (135) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (89) | Rotten (45) | DVD (7)
Soderbergh has made two almost perfect war films, more like the Rings Trilogy than The Green Berets.
Top CriticThere is precious little in these movies to fill out our understanding of what it was that made Che a rebel, a leader of men, and the repository of the romantic dreams of several generations of armchair revolutionaries
A potentially great title-role performance by Benicio Del Toro, which won him the best actor award at Cannes, is buried beneath Soderbergh's stylistic tics and a defiant lack of dramatic tension.
In releasing this reverent, meticulous, fascinating but flaccid history in two lengthy parts, Soderbergh committed perhaps the greatest sin of all. He made Che boring.
As absorbing as it is frustrating.
Che, the story of a failed revolutionary, also fails as a film.
The myth somehow deserves better.
The quality of the film is more than a testament to Mr Del Toro's acting skills, it is a reminder that Hollywood can make great films without 'selling out'.
The director sees Guevara as a pure humanitarian. ... The films are excellent, but understanding this complex historical figure requires more than one source.
Soderbergh has no interest in sentimentality, or back story, or even really in Guevara's philosophy, except as a rigorously footnoted onscreen reflection. Practically rejecting outright the concept of poetic license, Che is radical as a biopic.
simultaneously a Hollywood throwback with its lengthy, four-and-a-half-hour roadshow grandiosity and a challenging experiment in genre reformulation
Che is a ground-level study in perseverance.
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.
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.
A major disappointment. Soderbergh has stripped the story of most of its drama and though Del Toro, who won Best Actor at Cannes last year, is very convincing as Che, this Spanish-language film almost seems like an anti-movie.
Overall, a worthwhile venture if you have always wanted to know more about Guevara's controversial legacy, but were unsure where to start.
It's not a Hollywood-style movie - it demands patience and proper attention - but it's a great movie, and rewards magnificently.
An extraordinary performance from Benicio Del Toro anchors this long but gripping film based on a powerful true story.
Ultimately, not only does this epic enlighten but one hopes it may help to rekindle some of the revolutionary spirit that seems to be sadly lacking in contemporary society.
Great showcase for Benicio del Toro, of course, a wonderful actor who gives it his all. But Che, the T shirt hero of three generations, is a myth that so many today THINK Che stood for.
It is interesting. It is ambitious. It is well-assembled, and it is beautifully shot. And it is long -- so long, in fact, that Soderbergh broke his project into two parts.
All the excitement of a wet weekend in Bognor.
Sem cometer o erro de usar a guerrilha nas montanhas como desculpa para conferir um caráter de "longa de ação" ao projeto, O Argentino é basicamente um filme de idéias políticas.
Del Toro and Soderbergh portray the man as something more than just an animated version of the image that festoons the T-shirts of thousands of armchair revolutionaries.
Del Toro's performance is fine and there are many strong moments (including some wonderful black and white footage of Che in New York) but the parts are better than the whole.
Audience Reviews for Che: Part One (The Argentine)
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Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Javier Bardem is NOT in this movie!!!! | 3 months ago | 0 |
| JAVIER BARDEM NOT IN CHE | 48 days ago | 0 |
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Movie: ID: 770675137 Title: Che: Part One (The Argentine) Release Date: 2009-01-24 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 4 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Che - Guerilla (Teil 1) (DE)
- Che - Part One (UK)
