The Motorcycle Diaries
- Film Worth:$12.00
- FILMINK rates movies out of $20 - the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Che Guevara was the face that launched a million poseur T-shirts, all of which are...
Che Guevara was the face that launched a million poseur T-shirts, all of which are destined to get a new lease on life this summer. Something you might not know about iconic Cuban revolutionary Guevara is that he was once a bike rat. In 1952, with best friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo De la Serna), he traversed the width and breadth of South America on a rickety, puffing motorcycle. His early days as a wide-eyed bike traveller anchor this moving and profoundly inspiring new film from director Walter Salles (Central Station), which is launched into top gear by intelligent, humane and gorgeous work from leading man Gael Garcia Bernal (Y Tu Mama Tambien). You might have to look beyond his cheekbones to notice that this is one of the best performances of the year. Co-star Rodrigo De la Serna will be the unsung star in light of his biker pal's magnetism, and that's a shame because Serna's putty-features and galumphing character complete the balancing act of this essential two-hander.
Ironically, the people in danger of being disappointed by this sometimes slow-moving flick are the ones who already have their "Che" T-shirts on. In this film the icon goes AWOL - what we see is a sweet and diffident young man being exposed to the horrors of a continent that he had hitherto been insulated from. This isn't a biopic in the truest sense of the word, but its subtlety gives it an honesty and cogency that can't be matched. It will absolutely draw its detractors, but this movie has its priorities right - before he was a T-shirt, Che Guevara was a man.
