Che: Part Two (2008)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers (WGA):

Peter Buchman (screenplay) and
Benjamin A. van der Veen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | War

Plot:

In 1967, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara leads a small partisan army to fight an ill-fated revolutionary guerrilla war in Bolivia.

Plot Keywords:

Revolutionary | Che Guevara | 1960s | Communist Party | Dictatorship

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Benicio Del Toro	...	Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
Carlos Bardem	...	Moisés Guevara
Demián Bichir	...	Fidel Castro
Joaquim de Almeida	...	President René Barrientos
Pablo Durán	...	Pacho (Alberto Fernandez Montes de Oca)
Eduard Fernández	...	Ciro Algarañaz
Marc-André Grondin	...	Régis Debray
Óscar Jaenada	...	Darío (David Ardiazola)
Kahlil Mendez	...	Urbano (Leonardo Tamayo Nunez)
Cristian Mercado	...	Inti (Guido Peredo Liegue)
Jordi Mollà	...	Captain Mario Vargas
Gastón Pauls	...	Ciros Bustos
Antonio Peredo	...	Coco (Roberto Peredo Liegue)
Jorge Perugorría	...	Joaquin (Juan Vitalo 'Vilo' Acuna)
Lou Diamond Phillips	...	Mario Monje

Also Known As:

Guerrilla (International: English title) (alternative title) (USA) (working title)
Che (USA) (working title)
Che - 2ème partie - Guerilla (France)
Che: Guerrilla (Spain: Castilian title)

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

Spain | France | USA

Language:

Spanish | Aymara | Quechua | English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Brazil:14 | Ireland:15A | Argentina:13 | USA:R | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Finland:K-13 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

La Paz, Bolivia

Company:

Laura Bickford Productions

Trivia:

Che: Part One (2008) and this film were screened combined at the Cannes Film festival 2008 under the title "Che".

Quotes:

[last lines]
Ernesto Che Guevara: [to a Bolivian soldier about to execute him] Shoot. Do it. Shoot me, you coward! You are only killing a man. You will never kill my spirit, or the spirit of the revolution!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Balderrama

Che part I was a disappointment mostly in terms of direction

I wouldn't be surprised if Soderbergh was pressured to avoid making pre- revolution Cuba as graphically corrupt as it was. Merely reciting a few statistics isn't going to make it with the younger crowd. Still, part one, which is almost entirely shot in the jungle, does capture the feel of that place, especially when traversing the mountainous areas of Cuba. I liked Del Toro's interpretation of Che Guevara's personality. And the actor who plays Castro, Bichir, also did a great job, against all odds. It's clear Soderbergh doesn't look down on these people, but it's also clear he's not going to plea their case to 'yanquis' far removed from the recent past. Some of the more important historical aspects contradict what I've read. To my knowledge Castro did not court the Soviet Union until all attempts to gain acceptance from the United States were exhausted. But on other aspects he is right on, especially as to the looting by the expatriates as the island went other rebel control. The country's treasury was left empty.