DVD reviews: Che: Parts One and Two

Che isn’t for the faint-hearted. Steven Soderbergh’s ambitious biopic of the Argentinean revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, stretches out over two films and four hours. Although it’s a slog, the two instalments are best watched in a single sitting, perhaps with a brief intermission for a cigar.

Divided into two sections, The Argentine and Guerrilla, Che respectively chronicles Guevara’s part in the extraordinary overthrow of the US-backed Batista regime in Cuba, and his failed attempt to bring about revolution in Bolivia.

Each instalment is distinct from the other not only in theme but also in execution: The Argentine is crisply rendered in silvery-green anamorphic 16mm film while Guerrilla is shot in digital blue (note for nerds: Che was one of the first flicks to use the eagerly-awaited RedOne cameras).

While Che works best when viewed as a whole, the Argentine section is a little easier to like. It’s framed with an interview made at the height of Guevara’s notoriety during an unbending appearance before the UN in New York. The device provides a welcome insight into his character in a film that’s generally unwilling to spell things out.

Sound design is brilliant throughout: effects are spacious and detailed, especially in the action sequences, and the score blends spare orchestration with traditional Latin percussion.

Central to the film’s success is Benicio Del Toro, and not only as it’s leading man. After reading Jon Lee Anderson’s excellent biography, Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life, Del Toro bought the rights and set the ball rolling. Before playing Guevara, Del Toro went to great lengths in researching the character, even meeting Fidel Castro in Cuba. His understanding of Che is self-evident: while he’s capable of communicating his natural charisma, much of Del Toro’s performance is achieved through his forceful silence.

Soderbergh and Del Toro seem to have achieved a balanced depiction of a man who is both revered as a hero and reviled as a murderer. Che might be a struggle to get through at times, but it’s well worth the effort. TG

FORMAT: DVD

FROM: Universal

RATED:

Sound: 4

Vision: 4

Movie: 4