Che - Revolución

Revolutionäre Ideen aus dem roten Fast Food, Charakterisierungsverfahren aus dem sozialistischen Realismus, die Ausführung ist lediglich in geringfügigem Maße überdurchschnittlich. Ein sehr kränkelnder Film, wo anstelle von Gedanken und Spannungen aus den die Molotovs u´mit durchgekauten Leninthesem für zeitgenössische Salonkommunisten herausschauen. Del Toro = der einzige Lichtblick in diesem unkritischen Agitationsfilm. Wie soll aber jemandem eine inspirierende Schaufensterpuppe aus Pappe mit einem Gesicht vorkommen, das wie Guerrillero Heroico aussieht? Soderbergh und Buchman haben selbst die relevanten Dinge hier mit Thesen gekillt, die Che zum Nachdenken bringen könnten. (30.01.2009)

More of a documentary than a regular movie, but that makes it even more watchable. Del Toro’s acting is minimalist and sort of like a regular person, most of the time wanting to avoid attention (like Che himself at the beginning), basically his character forms by surrounding events, which I see as one of the greatest positives of the movie. Plus, Soderbergh did an excellent job of filming most battles and the shootouts ooze with animality and the documentary feel to it corresponds excellently with the narration. All this interspersed with a few lighter situations like the scene with Camilo and the ventriloquist, or the discussion with Fidel Castro and his brother Raul about the formation of a “free" Cuba. Shit! I missed! (15.02.2009)

Ich hatte mich so gefreut :-( Trotzdem wurde ich mir nach dem Ende des Films bewusst, dass mir außer Ocean’s Eleven kein Film von Soderbergh gefallen hat. Es ist mir klar, dass es überaus anspruchsvoll ist, einen Film zu drehen, der auf historischen Fakten basiert und der einen so bedeutsamen Zeitraum in der Geschichte Kubas des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts betrachtet, aber ich denke auch, dass man einen solchen Stoff fesselnd verarbeiten könnte. Und das ist Soderbergh meiner Meinung nach überhaupt nicht gelungen. Das ständige Laufen durch den Dschungel, Umarmungen und Begrüßungen, die Versorgung von Verwundeten. Alle Zuschauer wissen nur zu gut, dass Che Guevara Arzt war und dass er von seinen Genossen sicher herzlich begrüßt wurde, aber aus diesem Grunde muss man den Film nicht Dutzende Minuten überspannen. Kurz und gut, Langeweile zum Verzweifeln, was auch nicht durch den tollen und überzeugenden Benicio Del Toro herausgerissen wird. Ich werde stark darüber nachdenken, ob ich mir den zweiten Teil ansehe. (12.01.2009)

When I was watching the movie "Che Guevara", I asked myself, what was Soderbergh actually trying to achieve? Did he want to make a biographical film? Or maybe a documentary? Was he trying to capture a person? Or an era? Or a revolution? Is it really about Guevara? Not really, even though we watch him for more than half of the runtime. Guevara coughs a lot. It's not surprising. His asthma didn't go well with the Cuban climate. For a few minutes, you feel like you can't hear anything else but the coughing. The film then drags on unbelievably. But alright, then comes the action, where the creators somewhat compensate for it. The action is good, very realistic, and you feel what kind of revolution it actually was. Then it calms down, we return to the camp, or straight to some old footage, or an interview that runs throughout the film. The film is sometimes presented as "Che Guevara - revolution", which only proves what it's actually about. Guevara's role in the revolution is described here, but above all, the revolution itself. It was a guerrilla revolution, of which Guevara was to undergo several in his life. It was during the Cuban revolution that he realized the true meaning of his life, the meaning of himself as a person. From the movie, I had the feeling that this is actually the only thing we learn about Guevara. For such a personality, I think it's a shame that we don't learn much more about him, more about his opinions, about his personality. We follow a person who accompanies us throughout the film, but it's as if he's always just that icon that doesn't reveal itself to us too much. Before watching this film, it would be appropriate to watch the movie "The Motorcycle Diaries". But you will be interested in what happened between the time when "The Motorcycle Diaries" ends and "Che Guevara" begins. How was the person born, according to whom achieving the freedom of the people was possible only through revolution, guerrilla war, which would overthrow the existing exploitative regime. I'm interested in Guevara as a person. "Che Guevara" is not a film that gives me all the answers. Actually, it doesn't answer many. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/12/umirajici-zvire-4-vanoce-slunce-seno-2.html (03.03.2013)

A huge disappointment, and from Steven Soderbergh no less. I tend to seek out biopics, but this one failed miserably. On one hand, uninspiring propaganda, and on the other hand, boundless boredom. Even the traditionally great Benicio Del Toro couldn't save it. (21.04.2020)