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Che
(Friday, Dec. 12, 2008)
Yes, Che Guevara can sell T-shirts. But … why? Director Steven Soderbergh attempts to deliver the complicated answer in two companion films, The Argentine and Guerrilla — collectively called Che. Thankfully, Soderbergh omitted the typical biography stuff (because, really, who cares what Che’s favorite food is?) and sticks to the action, chronicling all the battles, murders and mistakes of this Communist S.O.B.-cum-icon, aka Cuba’s greatest revolutionary. Frankly, Benicio Del Toro was the perfect, if not the only, choice to play Che; there’s something about Del Toro’s often flat delivery that stirs up mystique. The first film is full of charisma that spills over. The second film is painful and thoughtful as Che dumps his flawed ideals onto the Congo and Bolivia (which ultimately led to his death). Some of the most expressive shots are of the simpler things — like the swaying trees or the crestfallen faces of the defeated — a possible tribute to the director that tried so hard to make this film but never could: Terrence Malick.
YESTERDAY’S DO-IT: Eight Olympic gold medals and one book!
