Che - Part 2 Reviews

Very good but watch the 1st part first

Just came back from a pre-screening of both parts and have to say that I had great five hours in the cinema. This (second) part tells the story of Che’s efforts in Bolivia after his success in Cuba. Most of us know him from his activities in Cuba, hence this part is really worth watching. I am really glad that I had a chance to watch both parts at once. It was like watching two different scenarios of same concept. If you can then you should spare four and a half hours and watch both parts together after they release the second in February.

Really good effort from Soderbergh. Benicio’s performance was outstanding.

Be prepared to read subtitles most of the time unless you know Spanish.

[Highly rated reviewer]

The END Of CHE

I LIKED PART 1 BETTER

GOOD

Slow going

A very different feel from part 1 here. The story drags badly in places, and shows that the owner of the face that launched a million student union t-shirts was way too trusting, naive and nowhere near ruthless enough to make a semi-sensible stab at fomenting revolution in Bolivia. After Cuba, did he reallly think the US wasn't going to make damn sure there wasn't a repeat?

More why needed for Che's story

This was clearly a labour of love for Soderbergh and Del Toro but the films really fall short of being engaging cinema due to its very docu-factual approach. The facts are well known and the extra dimension to again retell the stories of Che, Castro and the Cuban revolution must be the roots of their determination and a greater insight into what lead to Guevaras worldwide revolutionary activity and the final arrogant miscalculation which lead to his death; I'm afraid Part I & II don't do this. Part I has some interesting cinematic devices but is still overly long for the narrative, I think more back story of Castro and illustrations of the conditions in Cuba for the 'haves' and 'have nots' would have improved the films context and Part II adequately reveals the mundane and banal nature of a guerilla band but has little emotional engagement- I'm afraid with little exposure to band members their deaths, however well-portrayed, are not affecting at all. Del Toro portrays Che in a very human way but do we truly see the inspiring leader he was said to be? Nonetheless, both films are worth watching and compliment more engaging works such as 'The Motorcycle Diaries' and can be a stepping stone to other fuller explorations in both film and print.

[Highly rated reviewer]

THIS TIME . . . IT'S BOLIVIA!

I found 'Part 1' begin to drag a bit, so found 'Part 2' a bit more of a chore. It's more of the same, but building up to and covering Che's death. Overall, a sprawling epic with, as you would expect, an excellent performance from Del Torro, ably supported by the rest of the all Spanish speaking cast. Wholly educational and whilst the length may be excessive, it serves to give as real a picture of what it was like to be involved in these events as possible. Probably as good a job as will ever be done from the source material available.

[Highly rated reviewer]

THIS TIME . . . IT'S BOLIVIA!

I found 'Part 1' begin to drag a bit, so found 'Part 2' a bit more of a chore. It's more of the same, but building up to and covering Che's death. Overall, a sprawling epic with, as you would expect, an excellent performance from Del Torro, ably supported by the rest of the all Spanish speaking cast. Wholly educational and whilst the length may be excessive, it serves to give as real a picture of what it was like to be involved in these events as possible. Probably as good a job as will ever be done from the source material available.

[Highly rated reviewer]

THIS TIME . . . IT'S BOLIVIA!

I found 'Part 1' begin to drag a bit, so found 'Part 2' a bit more of a chore. It's more of the same, but building up to and covering Che's death. Overall, a sprawling epic with, as you would expect, an excellent performance from Del Torro, ably supported by the rest of the all Spanish speaking cast. Wholly educational and whilst the length may be excessive, it serves to give as real a picture of what it was like to be involved in these events as possible. Probably as good a job as will ever be done from the source material available.

[Highly rated reviewer]

More of the same from Soderbergh

Che part 1 was the opening to Steven Soderbergh’s Che Guevara biopic. It was a captivating film, but one that never penetrated the poster image of the famous Cuban revolutionary. I therefore thought that part two would further develop the character of Che, and I was looking forward to understanding his revolutionary motives. Unfortunately, the second offering is exactly the same as the first part, but this time Che has relocated to Bolivia-where there is another oppressive government he wishes to overthrow. The two films are a very respectful account of Che’s missions into the jungles of Cuba and Bolivia, however, there simply aren’t enough personal relationships to justify the 4 hours and 30 minutes running time. Its seems that Soderbergh never gets to the heart of any of his characters, least of all Che Guevara and at the end of the two films I was left with nothing more than a snapshot of his life. The events depicted maybe historically accurate, but the narrative lacks context, and without three dimensional characters the story never becomes alive or emotionally involving.

Che - Part Two

Not as good as the first part....but....good never-the-less!

[Highly rated reviewer]

che 2

excellent , not as confusing or heavy going as the first .

well worth a watch to see what the man was really like