Again, this was a pleasant surprise. I had come to believe from Cannes reviews of the full film that it was bloated and dull. Well, i don't know how Part Two plays but i found Part One (which is the only half that qualifies for this awards season in the UK) to be fast moving and fascinating.
Benicio Del Toro commands your attention as Che and the intercutting between Che in New York in the 60s and the younger Che getting involved with and then becoming a key player in the revolution worked well, with Soderbergh using black-and-white for the New York scenes, to evoke the documentary camera crew aspect that ties in with his being directly interviewed.
This is Del Toro's film and while Catalina Sandino Moreno, Julia Ormond and a few other recognisable faces appear from time to time no one can make headway against his impact. Del Toro can make a poor film better by his usually solid presence but he is truly excellent here and you can see how he won the Cannes Best Actor trophy.
The cinematography and production design work well, Soderbergh being typically stylish, but unlike in Traffic the alternating styles to denote time or place changes is less jarring.
Awards chances: Del Toro should have had a good run at Best Actor but it is a tough year even to get a nomination and the fact the film has been split in two may dilute his impact. As i've noted before the last two Americans to win Best Actor at Cannes (Tommy Lee Jones in Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada and Sean Penn in She's So Lovely) didn't even receive Oscar nominations, though Jones deserved one far more than he did for In The Valley Of Elah last year! Equally no Cannes Best Actor or Actress winner has gone on to win the Oscar since Holly Hunter in The Piano 15 years ago. So, slim perhaps but possible.
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