The irony of watching the events depicted in this film is to see what Bolivia, as a country, achieved by somewhat peaceful means more than what Ernesto Guevara was trying to do in their name in the late 1960s. This Latin American revered icon of the guerrilla movement grossly miscalculated his adventure in the country, even at the time they were under a tyrannical regime.
Mr. Guevara didn't count on the natives' natural distrust for any foreigner in their soil, which is apparent in the way it comes out in the second part of the Steven Soderbergh's saga. Not only was Guevara a foreigner to the natives, but the men that he brought from Cuba also stuck out because the way they spoke to the people they tried to enlist in the struggle. It becomes clear in the narrative, there was Cuban help by Mr. Castro for the project. The men he sent to accompany Che in his adventure were mostly Cubans who were asked by Guevara not to speak for fear their accents would derail his endeavor. Those fighters were ill prepared as well as the expedition proved to being ill timed.
The second installment on the legend takes him to a hostile land. Che Guevara was an asthmatic man who was betrayed by the elements, as it is shown in the film. The same people he tried to inspire clearly did not get the message this Argentine revolutionary wanted to leave them with. Little by little most of the men he was able to bring to the cause were demoralized by a superior enemy, better prepared to fight their revolt. Ultimately, Guevara had to pay the price in a sacrifice that propelled him to the sainthood of all the world's leftist factions, as he became the face in the tee shirt that young people love to wear, not having a clue as to the spirit of the man, himself.
Benicio Del Toro deserves credit for undertaking this project. Without him, the film couldn't probably have been made. For an actor, Mr. Del Toro couldn't even fake an Argentine accent, something that really is notable in the film. This being basically a Spanish language feature, it shows a cast of multinational actors, like Joaquim De Almeida, Franka Potente, just to name a few, whose accented voices don't sound real.
It's curious that as we write this comment Bolivians are going to the polls in democratic fashion to elect their representative without fear, or interference from dictatorial regimes like the one Che Guevara left behind in Cuba.
Mr. Guevara didn't count on the natives' natural distrust for any foreigner in their soil, which is apparent in the way it comes out in the second part of the Steven Soderbergh's saga. Not only was Guevara a foreigner to the natives, but the men that he brought from Cuba also stuck out because the way they spoke to the people they tried to enlist in the struggle. It becomes clear in the narrative, there was Cuban help by Mr. Castro for the project. The men he sent to accompany Che in his adventure were mostly Cubans who were asked by Guevara not to speak for fear their accents would derail his endeavor. Those fighters were ill prepared as well as the expedition proved to being ill timed.
The second installment on the legend takes him to a hostile land. Che Guevara was an asthmatic man who was betrayed by the elements, as it is shown in the film. The same people he tried to inspire clearly did not get the message this Argentine revolutionary wanted to leave them with. Little by little most of the men he was able to bring to the cause were demoralized by a superior enemy, better prepared to fight their revolt. Ultimately, Guevara had to pay the price in a sacrifice that propelled him to the sainthood of all the world's leftist factions, as he became the face in the tee shirt that young people love to wear, not having a clue as to the spirit of the man, himself.
Benicio Del Toro deserves credit for undertaking this project. Without him, the film couldn't probably have been made. For an actor, Mr. Del Toro couldn't even fake an Argentine accent, something that really is notable in the film. This being basically a Spanish language feature, it shows a cast of multinational actors, like Joaquim De Almeida, Franka Potente, just to name a few, whose accented voices don't sound real.
It's curious that as we write this comment Bolivians are going to the polls in democratic fashion to elect their representative without fear, or interference from dictatorial regimes like the one Che Guevara left behind in Cuba.