Che: Part Two (2008)

If the first half of Che Guevara's biopic is his rise to fame, the second half documents his demise.

Following the Cuban revolution and the establishment of government on the island nation with Castro, and right after Che's visit to the United Nations in December of 1964, he dropped out of public sight and began a clandestine tour of the world. After preparing a failed coup in the Congo and visiting Czechoslovakia and Algeria among other nations, he wound up in Bolivia wearing a disguise and using a fake passport.

As with the first installation, Soderbergh delivers a raw, dispassionate, true to life account of the 300 or so last days of Che's life beginning with his arrival in Bolivia and ending with his execution by the Bolivian military on October 9, 1967. The story follows his ragtag troupe as they train and begin their revolution. Several aspects of the coup cause it to fail: lack of general support/understanding by the average Bolivian, weak commitment from the volunteers, hard living in the wilderness, and the unexpected involvement of the CIA and U.S. military in supplying and training the Bolivian National Army.

The character of Che is really the focus of the films. Whether in victory or defeat, Che maintains his ideological mindset and rarely waivers into personal gratification. This is his appeal. This is what is honoured.

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