Che: Part 2 - Hugo Chavez and Che Guevara

The second part of Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh's epic two-part war movie charting the life of Che Guevara, Che: Part Two, sees Benicio Del Toro once again taking up the role of the iconic revolutionary.

Following the success of the Cuban Revolution, Che Guevara is at the peak of his fame and power when he vanishes without a trace. Resurfacing some time later in the jungles of Bolivia, Guevara sets about recruiting a new band of insurgents to help him spread the revolutionary message across the rest of Latin America. But as the Bolivian government and the CIA close in on him, this will prove to be his most dangerous campaign yet.

Read our interview with Benicio Del Toro.

Watch the trailer.

Here, we take a look at the similarities and differences between Hugo Chavez, current President of Venezuela, and Che Guevara...


Che Guervera and Hugo Chavez have a lot in common, many even making the claim that Chavez is the extension to Che’s vision. Their overly zealous ideals focus on creating a socialistic society where America’s imperialistic power can no longer dominate. They believe in strong social reforms and social justice for all the impoverished. And to them, an armed revolutionary is the solution.

Yet, these two radicals share a lot more in common than just simple politics. One trait they both definitely have in common is their love to talk, and talk, and talk. Hugo is infamous for his long winded speeches that have been known to last until early the next morning and he even created a talk show where he does exactly what he loves, talks. Those shows can go as long as 8 hours. A leader of a suffering troop, Che was always responsible to bring up the moral of the soldiers. And to do so, he settled for lengthy inspirational speeches. He was also constantly preaching his ideals and through extensive speeches, tried to persuade people to join his side.

Hugo Chavez and Che Geuvara were talented athletes. Before Chavez dreamed about dictating a country and causing a social revolution, he aspired to be the star pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. He still loves the sport and many of his speeches contain baseball metaphors. Che, even though an asthmatic, also had a wild competitive spirit. As a participant in the Rugby Union, Che was nicknamed “fuser” for his aggressive style in rugby games.

Just like typical jocks do, these political icons shared a love for women. Not married to this day, Chavez has had two wives and a steamy affair that was the cause of the first divorce. Che also could not just settle for one woman. During his first marriage, he began an infamous affair that eventually led to his divorce. He ended up marrying the new woman and stayed with her until the end of his life.

Lastly, the two share something in common not only with each other but also with millions of people worldwide. Both have a popular Facebook page with a long list of friends.

Not only do their personal lives reflect each other but so too does their style. They love their army beret. Che and Chavez have deep roots in warfare and combat fighting and their fashion imitate that fashion. The iconic image of Che has his famous beret resting gently on his head. While not as obsessed with the beret as Che, Chavez is known to parade his beret fashion, even without his army uniform on.


Che Part Two is released in UK cinemas 20th February 2009.