The vast ambition of Steven Soderbergh and Benicio Del Toro's epic Che is only fitting, giving the Argentine born revolutionary's iconic status as one of the most recognizable figures of the 20th century. Divided into two parts, Che follows the evolution of Ernesto Guevara from a well-traveled doctor with socialist tendencies to El Comandante, the guerilla military leader who led the Cuban revolution alongside of Fidel Castro.

The dialog of part 1 (also named The Argentine) is entirely in Spanish and certain sequences are delivered in grainy, newsreel-style black and white, harkening back to the revolutionary mid-1960's. The effect is transpotative and authentic. Soderbergh's camera follows Guevara from his initial Mexican meetings with Fidel Castro, played by Demian Bichir, who incidentally plays Mexican drug king pin Esteban in this season of Weeds. The struggle begins in earnest when Guevara lands in Cuba and the revolution takes root in the mountainous jungles. Small scale firefights with the soldiers of Cuban president Batista are almost secondary to the growing pains of the rag tag revolutionary army. Che doesn't truly evolve beyond his role as doctor and teacher until he executes a guerilla who has turned to banditry.

The action intensifies when Castro orders his forces out of the mountains and Che is tasked with uniting fueding revolutionary groups under his banner. The guerilla warfare sequences are fast paced and action packed and Part 1 truly becomes a war movie with Che as Comandante, engaged in vicious house to house fighting for control of the strategically important city of Santa Clara. Ruthless and tactical, Del Toro's Che keeps his troops on the straight and narrow even after victory is assured. Part 1 ends with him forcing triumphant soldiers on the road to Havana to turn back and return a car liberated from a fallen enemy sniper.

A subplot depicting Guevara's visit to New York to address the United Nations depicts the man in his role as statesman, as opposed to military leader. But given the fact that he is wearing military fatigues while he delivers his firebrand address to the various ambassadors there is never any confusion around Che's role. While he delivers his words, a failed bomb threat is alluded to, but with little explanation. During his speach, Che outlines the greivances against the U.S. which 40 years later still colour relations between the super power and the tiny island nation.

The man who's face has sold literally millions of T-shirts has been cast as hero as often as villain since his death at the hands of US-trained Bolivian troops in 1967, depending on which side of the socialist-capitalist divide the opinion is cast. Soderbergh's telling is entirely sympathetic to Che, not surprising considering Guevara's memoires, Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War served as a primary source for the script. Del Toro is great in the role as well, his performance enhanced greatly by the strong physical resemblance he adopts.

Che's actions' throughout Part 1 are heroic without fail, never once is the man who literally wrote the book on Guerilla Warfare portrayed as being motivated by anything but the purest of motives. This is the films' greatest flaw; Che is portrayed as too damned noble. Perhaps Part 2, leading up to his execution in the jungles of Bolivia will deliver the hubris lacking in the first chapter.