Che: Part Two (2008)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers (WGA):

Peter Buchman (screenplay) and
Benjamin A. van der Veen (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

24 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | War

Plot:

In 1967, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara leads a small partisan army to fight an ill-fated revolutionary guerrilla war in Bolivia.

Plot Keywords:

Bolivia | Guerrilla | 1967 | Che Guevara | Bolivian Army

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Benicio Del Toro	...	Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
Carlos Bardem	...	Moisés Guevara
Demián Bichir	...	Fidel Castro
Joaquim de Almeida	...	President René Barrientos
Pablo Durán	...	Pacho (Alberto Fernandez Montes de Oca)
Eduard Fernández	...	Ciro Algarañaz
Marc-André Grondin	...	Régis Debray
Óscar Jaenada	...	Darío (David Ardiazola)
Kahlil Mendez	...	Urbano (Leonardo Tamayo Nunez)
Cristian Mercado	...	Inti (Guido Peredo Liegue)
Jordi Mollà	...	Captain Mario Vargas
Gastón Pauls	...	Ciros Bustos
Antonio Peredo	...	Coco (Roberto Peredo Liegue)
Jorge Perugorría	...	Joaquin (Juan Vitalo 'Vilo' Acuna)
Lou Diamond Phillips	...	Mario Monje
Franka Potente	...	Tania (Haydee Tamara Bunke Bider)
Othello Rensoli	...	Pombo (Harry Villegas Tamayo)
Armando Riesco	...	Benigno (Dariel Alarcon Ramirez)
Néstor Rodulfo	...	Miguel (Manuel Hernandez Osorio)
Catalina Sandino Moreno	...	Aleida March
Norman Santiago	...	Tuma (Carlos Coello)
Rodrigo Santoro	...	Raúl Castro
Mark Umbers	...	George Roth
Yul Vazquez	...	Alejandro Ramírez
María D. Sosa	...	Aledita
Raúl Beltrán	...	Bolivian Customs Agent #1
Raúl 'Pitín' Gómez	...	Bolivian Customs Agent #2
Paty M. Bellott	...	Woman at Airport
Ezequiel Diaz	...	Loro (Jorge Vazquez Viana)
Juan Salinas	...	Polo (Apolinar Aquino Quispe)
Luis Muñoz	...	Serapio Aquino Tudela
Lorenzo Ariel Muñoz	...	Camba (Orlando Jimenez Baznan)
Aaron Vega	...	Ricardo (Jose Maria Martinez Tamayo)
Giraldo Moisés	...	Braulio (Israel Reyes Zayas)
Rubén Ochandiano	...	Rolando (Eliseo Reyes Rodriguez)
Roberto Guilhon	...	Ernesto (Freddie Maymura Hurtado)
Carlos Acosta	...	Antonio Domínguez Flores
Edgardo Rodríguez	...	Arturo (Rene Martinez Tamayo)
José Juan Rodríguez	...	Moro (Octavio de la Concepcion)
Daniel Larrazábal	...	Ñato (Julio Luis Mendez Korne)
Wilder Salinas	...	Julio
Jimmy A. Céspedes	...	Eustaquio (Lucio Edilberto Galvan Hidalgo)
Eitán Vázquez	...	Salustio Choque Choque
Óscar Avilés	...	Pedro (Antonio Jimenez Tardio)
Rubén Salinas	...	Paco (Jose Castillo Chavez)
Daniel Aguirre	...	Aniceto Reinaga
Miguel Villarroel	...	Carlos
Diego Ortiz	...	Willy (Simon Cuba Saravia)
Jorge Arturo Lora	...	Chapaco (Jamie Arana Saravia)
Marisé Alvarez	...	Vilma Espín
Eduardo Espinosa	...	El Vallegrandino
Antonio de la Torre	...	Lieutenant Carlos Fernández
Marco Antonio	...	Plainclothes Policeman
Luis Bredow	...	Honorato Rojas
María Cristina Calá	...	Honorato's Wife
Edison Narváez	...	Pablito (Francisco Huanca)
Bart Santana	...	Daniel (Pastor Barrera Quintana)
Raúl Núñez	...	Eusebio Tapia Arune
Jesús Carrillo	...	Vicente Roeabado Terrazas
José Julio Park Shin	...	Chino (Juan Pablo Chang)
Juan Carlos Vellido	...	Major Hernán Plata
Raúl Arévalo	...	Captured Soldier #1
Daniel Holguín	...	Captured Soldier #2
Sergio Deustua	...	Captured Soldier #3
Tom Minder	...	American #1
Andrew Petrotta	...	American #2
Frederic W. Brost	...	American #3
Geischglin Rojas	...	Padilla
Stephen Casmier	...	Captain Mitchell
James D. Dever	...	Major Ralph 'Pappy' Shelton
Roberto Sanmartín	...	Captain Gary Prado
Luis Callejo	...	Bolivian Interrogator
Matt Damon	...	Fr. Schwartz
Eduard Sanjines	...	Reporter #1
Diego Salazar	...	Reporter #2
René Aragón	...	Reporter #3
Pedro Casablanc	...	Colonel Joaquín Zenteno
Tomás del Estal	...	General Alfredo Ovando Candía
David Zambrana	...	Chingolo
Flavio Morales	...	Soldier Playing Possum
José María Piñeda	...	Hiding Soldier
Mónica Montoya	...	Store Owner
Saúl Avila	...	Coca Vendor
Miguel Antelo	...	Prado's Radio Operator
David Selvas	...	Lieutenant Colonel Andrés Selich
Jesús Carroza	...	Eduardo
César Salgado	...	Guard at Door
Martín Bello	...	Bolivian Soldier
Vismark Tito Rojas	...	Lieutenant Eduardo Huerta
Enrique Arce	...	Lieutenant Carlos Pérez
Christian Esquivel	...	Sergeant Mario Terán
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rob Alicea	...	Network cameraman (uncredited)
James P. Anderson	...	United Kingdom Delegate to U.N. (uncredited)
Benjamín Benítez	...	Rudolfo (uncredited)
Lou D'Amato	...	Italian UN Delegate (uncredited)
Edwin David Garcia	...	Cuban Protester at UN (uncredited)
Robert C. Kirk	...	Cop (uncredited)
Andrea Leon	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Mateo Moreno	...	Network Cameraman (uncredited)
Erik-Anders Nilsson	...	United Nations Diplomat (uncredited)
Rich Odell	...	Che's Greeter (uncredited)
Antonio Pardo	...	Ranger Boliviano (uncredited)
Jason Rivera	...	UN delegate (uncredited)
Steven Weisz	...	News Cameraman (uncredited)

Directed by
Steven Soderbergh

Writing credits (WGA)
Peter Buchman		(screenplay) and
Benjamin A. van der Veen		(screenplay)
Ernesto 'Che' Guevara		(Bolivian Diary)

Produced by
Belén Atienza	....	executive producer
Álvaro Augustín	....	executive producer
Laura Bickford	....	producer
Frederic W. Brost	....	executive producer
Brahim Chioua	....	executive producer
Benicio Del Toro	....	producer
Philip Elway	....	executive producer
Gregory Jacobs	....	executive producer
Alvaro Longoria	....	executive producer
Vincent Maraval	....	executive producer
Silvana Paternostro	....	associate producer
Cristina Zumárraga	....	line producer

Original Music by
Alberto Iglesias

Cinematography by
Steven Soderbergh		(as Peter Andrews)

Film Editing by
Pablo Zumárraga

Casting by
Rodrigo Bellott
J.C. Cantu
Carla Hool
Suzanne Smith
Mary Vernieu

Production Design by
Antxón Gómez
Philip Messina

Art Direction by
Juan Pedro De Gaspar

Set Decoration by
Pilar Revuelta

Costume Design by
Bina Daigeler

Makeup Department
Barbara Cantu	....	key hairstylist: Puerto Rico & Mexico
Gloria Pasqua Casny	....	hair department head: Puerto Rico & Mexico
Oscar del Monte	....	special makeup effects artist
Nacho Díaz	....	special makeup effects artist
Loretta James-Demasi	....	key make-up artist: Puerto Rico and Mexico
Katherine James	....	make-up department head: Puerto Rico and Mexico
Natasha Ladek	....	wig maker: Benicio Del Toro
Ana López Puigcerver	....	makeup department head
Gail Rowell-Ryan	....	hair stylist: Benicio Del Toror

Production Management
Marian Briozzo	....	post-production supervisor
Paola Gosalvez	....	unit production manager
Gerardo Guerra	....	unit production manager
Robin Le Chanu	....	production manager
Toni Novella	....	production manager
Federico Rozadillas	....	assistant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Christopher Downs	....	second second assistant director
Marcos González Palma	....	dga trainee: Puerto Rico/Mexico
Carlos Gras	....	second assistant director
Brian Kenyon	....	additional second assistant director: New York
Amy Lauritsen	....	second assistant director
Pedro Lazaga	....	first assistant director
Lynne Martin	....	additional second assistant director
Joseph P. Reidy	....	first assistant director: New York
Tomás Silberman	....	trainee assistant director
John Silvestri	....	second second assistant director
Jody Spilkoman	....	key second assistant director

Art Department
Tommy Allen	....	property master: New York
Gary Cergol	....	art department coordinator
Rick Chavez	....	assistant property master
Abariss Culjak	....	set dresser
Derrick Kardos	....	additional graphic designer: props
Angela Nahlim	....	assistant decorator
Andrew Petrotta	....	property master
Amparo Pineiro	....	art department assistant
Mark Pollard	....	graphic artist: New York
Iñaki Rubio	....	key props buyer
Rodney Sterbenz	....	on-set dresser: New York
Richard Tenewitz	....	construction coordinator: New York
Richard Tenewitz	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mark Appleby	....	adr mixer
Aitor Berenguer	....	sound mixer
Larry Blake	....	sound
Mike Chock	....	sound editor
Nick Foley	....	adr mixer
Gabriel Gutiérrez	....	supervising sound editor
Mike Howells	....	adr recordist
Hugo Jeffreys	....	adr recordist
John Kessler	....	foley artist
John Kessler	....	foley editor
Mark A. Mangini	....	sound editor
Mark A. Mangini	....	sound re-recording mixer
Diego Martinez Rodriguez	....	dialogue editor
Antonio Mejias	....	boom operator
Marc Orts	....	dialogue mixer
Marc Orts	....	sound
Sam Perry	....	boom operator: New York
Iñaki Sanchez-Elvira	....	foley editor
Xavier López Souto	....	dialogue editor (as Xavier Souto)
Billy Theriot	....	assistant sound editor
Thomas Varga	....	sound mixer: New York
Karl Wasserman	....	sound utility: New York

Special Effects by
César Abades	....	special effects coordinator
Óscar Abades	....	special effects technician
Reyes Abades	....	special effects supervisor
Ángel Alonso	....	special effects technician
Conor Coughlan	....	special effects
Werner Hahnlein	....	special effects foreman
Kevin Hannigan	....	special effects supervisor
Daniel Rebou	....	special effects technician
Jose Manuel Rodrigo	....	special effects technician
Mario Vanillo	....	special effects foreman
Joaquin Vergara	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Aníbal del Busto	....	digital compositor
Eduardo Díaz	....	digital compositor
Sergio Garcia Abad	....	computer graphics supervisor
Úrsula García	....	visual effects producer
Guillermo Orbe	....	digital compositor
Ramón Ramos	....	digital compositor
Thorsten Rienth	....	digital compositor
Rafa Solorzano	....	visual effects supervisor
Carlos Trijueque	....	digital compositor
Daniel Trujillo	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Guiomar Alonso	....	stunts
Jorge Casares	....	stunt coordinator
John Cenatiempo	....	utility stunts
Blaise Corrigan	....	stunts
Fernando Millán	....	stunts
Eric Miranda	....	stunts
Raquel Molinary	....	stunts
Claudio Pacifico	....	stunt performer
Antonio Pardo	....	stunts
Ricardo Rocca	....	stunts
César Solar	....	stunts
Cuco Usín	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
K.C. Bailey	....	still photographer: New York
Gregg de Domenico	....	second assistant camera: New York City
Sergio Delgado	....	first assistant camera
Alvaro Garcia	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Gary Jay	....	camera operator
Rodrigo López	....	second assistant camera: b camera
Adam Miller	....	second assistant camera: New York
Juan Pablo Ojeda	....	assistant camera
Miguel Angel Viñas	....	camera intern

Casting Department
Patricia Alonso	....	casting director: Puerto Rico
Sophia M. Costas	....	extras casting: New York
Venus Kanani	....	casting associate
David H. Kramer	....	adr voice casting
Eliseo Ruiz	....	casting assistant
Paul Schnee	....	casting associate
Marny Smith	....	casting assistant
Rodrigo Urbano	....	casting associate
Francisco Veyro	....	extras casting: Mexico

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Susan Bakula	....	costume shop supervisor
Adam Butera	....	wardrobe assistant
Ana Cuerda	....	assistant costume designer
James Deanes	....	costumer
Charo Diego	....	seamstress
Jill Graves Power	....	set costumer: New York
Barrett Hong	....	costumer
Debbie Lucas	....	seamstress
Thomas M. Smalley	....	additional wardrobe assistant: New York

Editorial Department
Matt Absher	....	assistant editor
Corey Bayes	....	assistant editor
Leigh Anne Bowles	....	post-production coordinator
Sam Daley	....	dailies colorist: New York
Jimmy Fusil	....	digital intermediate producer
Nat Jencks	....	first assistant editor
David Kirchner	....	associate editor
Virginia Llera	....	assistant editor
Tim Stipan	....	digital intermediate colorist
Michael P. Whipple	....	digital intermediate engineer
Lee Wimer	....	color timer
Benjamin Sutor	....	digital intermediate editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor

Transportation Department
Ramón Alonso	....	assistant transportation manager
Patricia de la Uz	....	transportation coordinator
Ricardo Gallarzo Jr.	....	transportation captain
Shane Greedy	....	transportation coordinator
Diego Leco	....	driver
Fernando Lueches	....	driver
Alfonso Paredes	....	driver

Other crew
Mercedes Barbod	....	assistant location manager
Jack Bavaro	....	first assistant production accountant: New York
Julie Bernards	....	payroll accountant
Rino Bonavita	....	accountant
Karl Braun	....	scout
Jessica Cabrera	....	set production assistant
Mariarosa Calderon	....	assistant accountant
Manuel Calvo	....	production assistant
Aarón I. Campos	....	set production assistant
Selena Carrillo	....	production coordinator
Andrew Cavagnet	....	production assistant
Daniel B. Cone	....	set production assistant
Roberto De Jesus	....	production assistant
Maite del Pozo	....	assistant location manager
Lucía del Río	....	payroll accountant
James D. Dever	....	military technical advisor
Verónica Díaz	....	production coordinator
Ryan Ferguson	....	location assistant
David Fischer	....	key production assistant
Jason Fritz	....	location assistant
Evan Gabriele	....	location assistant
Heather Gauntt	....	location assistant
Chris Gibson	....	production assistant
Joel Goldes	....	dialect coach: post-production
Joe Guest	....	assistant location manager
Kevin Hindley	....	script clearance
Jason Hinkel	....	first assistant accountant
Aaron Hurvitz	....	location scout
Christina D. King	....	production secretary
Dan Knight	....	epk director
Nicole Diane Lederman	....	production assistant
Mia Lee	....	assistant production office coordinator
David Lopez Arias	....	assistant: location manager
Sonya Lunsford	....	production controller
Elizabeth MacSwan	....	set production assistant
Yesika Mena	....	production secretary: Spanish team
Tom Minder	....	assistant military advisor
Kathryn Moïse	....	assistant: Ms. Bickford
Marina H. Molini	....	production assistant
Nacho Nolla	....	office production runner
Jaime Ortiz de Artiñano	....	business affairs
Kevin Otero	....	assistant location manager
Greg Outcalt	....	production coordinator: New York
Aldo Paternostro	....	production assistant
Jill K. Perno	....	set production assistant
J.P. Pettinato	....	consultant to producers
Shieed Pittman	....	location assistant
Andrew Poppoon	....	unit location assistant
Alejandro de Quesada	....	historical consultant
Félix Rosell	....	location manager
Mercedes Selgas	....	assistant accountant
Susan Silas	....	location scout
Carmen Soriano	....	script supervisor
Christian Vendetti	....	staff production assistant: New York
Nacha Zurinaga	....	travel coordinator
Giuseppe Ferlito	....	personal assistant: Jordi Mollà (uncredited)
Pablo Goldbarg	....	language consultant (uncredited)
Maria Guisado	....	publicist (uncredited)

Thanks
Cristobal Garcia	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Laura Bickford Productions
• Morena Films
• Telecinco
• Wild Bunch

Distributors

• Alfa Films (2009) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• BIM Distribuzione (2008) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Bazuca Films (2009) (Chile) (theatrical)
• Filmware International (2009) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• GAGA (2009) (Japan) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Morena Films (2008) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Nikkatsu (2009) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Optimum Releasing (2008) (UK) (theatrical)
• Optimum Releasing (2009) (UK) (theatrical)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2009) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• URD Pictures (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• Wild Bunch Benelux (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Europa Filmes (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• Paramount (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Paramount (2009) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2009) (Finland) (all media)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)

Other Companies

• 1 Force  military technical advisors
• AdeQ Historical Archives & Services  historical photographs
• Arsenal  consultant
• IndieClear  script clearance
• Nuncle  typefaces developer
• Ovide B S  accessories
• Red Digital Cinema  camera equipment provided by
• Soundtrack  ADR Facility
• Soundtrack  trailer
• Southern Sun  lighting
• Sylvia Fay/Lee Genick & Associates Casting  extras casting New York
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

Also Known As:

Guerrilla (International: English title) (alternative title) (USA) (working title)
Che (USA) (working title)
Che - 2ème partie - Guerilla (France)
Che: Guerrilla (Spain: Castilian title)

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

Spain | France | USA

Language:

Spanish | Aymara | Quechua | English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Brazil:14 | Ireland:15A | Argentina:13 | USA:R | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Finland:K-13 | Sweden:11 | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | New Zealand:M | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

La Paz, Bolivia

Company:

Laura Bickford Productions

Trivia:

Cameo: [Matt Damon]as Fr. Schwartz, man with white flag, carrying out short negotiation in non-native Spanish.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the Bolivian troops are about to ambush the guerrillas crossing the river, you can see, that the machine guns belt is holding bullets with primers that have already being fired. The firing pin imprint on the cap is clearly visible.

Quotes:

Ernesto Che Guevara: To survive here, to win... you have to live as if you've already died.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Balderrama

Guerrilla struggles that work, and don't

Ironically the most talked-about American film in the 2008 New York Film Festival is 98% in Spanish. The extra-long film's controversy began at the Cannes Festival. There were love-hate notices, and considerable doubts about commercial prospects. As consolation the star, Benicio Del Toro, got the Best Actor award there. I'm talking about Steven Soderbergh's 'Che,' of course. That's the name it's going by in this version, shown in New York as at Cannes in two 2-hour-plus segments without opening title or end credits. 'Che' is certainly appropriate since Ernesto "Che" Guevara is in almost every scene. Del Toro is impressive, hanging in reliably through thick and thin, from days of glorious victory in part one to months of humiliating defeat in part two, appealing and simpatico in all his varied manifestations, even disguised as a bald graying man to sneak into Bolivia. It's a terrific performance; one wishes it had a better setting.

If you are patient enough to sit through the over four hours, with an intermission between the two sections, there are rewards. There's an authentic feel throughout--fortunately Soderbergh made the decision to film in Spanish (though some of the actors, oddly enough in the English segments especially, are wooden). You get a good outline of what guerrilla warfare, Che style, was like: the teaching, the recruitment of campesinos, the morality, the discipline, the hardship, and the fighting--as well as Che's gradual morphing from company doctor to full-fledged military leader. Use of a new 9-pound 35 mm-quality RED "digital high performance cine camera" that just became available in time for filming enabled DP Peter Andrews and his crew to produce images that are a bit cold, but at times still sing, and are always sharp and smooth.

The film is in two parts--Soderbergh is calling them two "films," and the plan is to release them commercially as such. First is 'The Argentine,' depicting Che's leadership in jungle and town fighting that led up to the fall of Havana in the late 50's, and the second is 'Guerrilla,' and concerns Che's failed effort nearly a decade later in Bolivia to spearhead a revolution, a fruitful mission that led to Guevara's capture and execution in 1967. The second part was to have been the original film and was written first and, I think, shot first. Producer Laura Bickford says that part two is more of a thriller, while part one is more of an action film with big battle scenes. Yes, but both parts have a lot in common--too much--since both spend a large part of their time following the guerrillas through rough country. Guerrilla an unmitigated downer since the Bolivian revolt was doomed from the start. The group of Cubans who tried to lead it didn't get a friendly reception from the Bolivian campesinos, who suspected foreigners, and thought of the Cuban communists as godless rapists. There is a third part, a kind of celebratory black and white interval made up of Che's speech at the United Nations in 1964 and interviews with him at that time, but that is inter-cut in the first segment. The first part also has Fidel and is considerably more upbeat, leading as it does to the victory in Santa Clara in 1959 that led to the fall of the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba.

During 'Guerilla' I kept thinking how this could indeed work as a quality European-style miniseries, which might begin with a shortened version of Walter Salles's 'Motorcycle Diaries' and go on to take us to Guevara's fateful meeting with Fidel in Mexico and enlistment in the 26th of July Movement. There could be much more about his extensive travels and diplomatic missions. This is far from a complete picture of the man, his childhood interest in chess, his lifelong interest in poetry, the books he wrote; even his international fame is only touched on. And what about his harsh, cruel side? Really what Soderbergh is most interested in isn't Che, but revolution, and guerrilla warfare. The lasting impression that the 4+ hours leave is of slogging through woods and jungle with wounded and sick men and women and idealistic dedication to a the cause of ending the tyranny of the rich. Someone mentioned being reminded of Terrence Malick's 'The Tin Red Line,' and yes, the meandering, episodic battle approach is similar; but 'The Thin Red Line' has stronger characters (hardly anybody emerges forcefully besides Che), and it's a really good film. This is an impressive, but unfinished and ill-fated, effort.

This 8-years-gestating, heavily researched labor of love (how many more Ocean's must come to pay for it?) is a vanity project, too long for a regular theatrical release and too short for a miniseries. Radical editing--or major expansion--would have made it into something more successful, and as it is it's a long slog, especially in the second half.

It's clear that this slogging could have been trimmed down, though it's not so clear what form the resulting film would have taken--but with a little bit of luck it might have been quite a good one.