Anticipating Che

Benicio del Toro and Steven Soderbergh's eight-year labour of intrigue into Cuban revolutionary icon Che Guevara finally hits UK shores on the 2nd January, thankfully giving me a day to shake off the inevitable New Years' hangover so I can approach the multi-hour bio-pic with a clear, objective head.

The film, entitled simply Che, has been split into two parts, which were initially to be called The Argentine and Guerilla, but are now just Part One and Part Two, and by all accounts will be nothing if not a very unique take on both the revolutionary subject and the biopic genre. Needless to say, the film will divide audiences.

Most critics who've seen the pre-release screenings say it's the overwhlemingly didadict (some say dispassionate/ unconventional) approach Soderberg has taken with Che which has really got people pigeon-necking [1], [2], [3], [4]. Opinion is divided.

Little White Lies' Jonathan Crocker said "it had the look and feel of a seminal film...as with any cinematic landmark, it may take years to fully absorb." Roger Ebert named it as one of his films of 2008, whilst James Rocchi of cinematical.com went a step further and named it as his film of the year. On the flipside, Variety film critic Todd McCarthy called it "non-dramatic" and that "[n]either [Part One or Two] feels remotely like a satisfying stand-alone film, while the whole offers far too many aggravations for it's paltry rewards."

So, no pressure for Che to perform at the box-office then.

As a political entity, Che has made waves as well. Miami Cubans protested at a screening near a US screening in Little Havana (despite many not having seen the film), Soderberg had to deal with rowdy invitees and a marathan Q&A session in New York and del Toro has received praise from Cuban national newspaper Granma, a Cannes Best Actor win and a letter of approval from Guevarra's wife.

I'll report back on here with a full review in January, but until then, enjoy a trailer. (Might be a Youtube special, might be the official one, not entirely sure.)