‘Che’ on the Big Screen

Posted by Patrick Semmens in May 22nd 2008

The first review of Steven Soderbergh’s (Solaris, The Good German, Oceans 11, 12, 13) newest movie Che largely pans the movie for lack of character development and, at times, poor cinematography.

My interest in the movie is more about how Che is portrayed. Is his brutality as the head of Fidel Castro’s secret police and the regime’s chief executioner glossed over?

I still react to the hipsters who wear Che shirts with a mix of disgust and sorrow for the ignorance of the wearer. They wouldn’t wear a Heinrich Himmler shirt, yet the difference between Himmler and Che is almost exclusively one of the scale of horrific acts - Himmler oversaw the murder of millions, while Che “only” murdered thousands.