Disapointment

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

In communism/socialism the beginning is always the End. One dictator removes another from power by force. Many praise the men that at the moment believe what they fight for some kind of change, usually when the previous government has been corrupt in some way. Corruption creates poverty and poverty leads to stress then becomes the fuel for a revolution. Most revolutions in our history have lead to totalitarianism. I like to blame that on human nature the USA is not perfect but its pretty close if you do not know what it's like to live in Cuba don't be mistaken tourist don't see the suffering especially if you have the money. Venezuela is a fresh look on early Cuba lets see how its ends up in a few years. HUGO CHAVEZ and some fanatics are beginning to dismantle any checks and balances the country may have plans on changing how long he can serve as president no limit remind you of something. Enough about that after so many years and tears and lives lost at sea. The exiled Cubans have preserved peace by leaving through 90 miles of rough seas on anything that floats not recreating another revolt adding to the cycle of bull in almost 40 odd years. Thousands of lives lost at sea as well as injustices on that prisoner island. Please think why would so many people risk their lives in such a way.

Before having seen this film I thought that Castro is a dictator. After watching this film I know (respectively I believe) that:1.) The word "dictator" (in a negative sense) is not correct. Monarch, principal, emperor or "president for a lifetime" are better for this form of government.2.) In Cuba, there are free elections on the district level. The mandatories are elected directly. Not through a party.3.) Castro did a lot for education in his land. And he did a lot against prostitution.4.) Since all times, Castro is against torture. Also during the US attack on his country.5.) Castro defended his land successfully against an invasion of US troops. For this, the help from the former UDSSR (by Chruschtschow) was necessary (deployment of nuclear weapons during 13 days).6.) Since all times in the USA, every American who is against the American policy against Cuba (economic embargo since 1960) is defamed as a communist or as an enemy of the state.

Despite the anti-Castro rhetoric that has been going on in this country since the 1960's, this film has managed to make its way to the mainstream media of the most hostile nation towards Cuba. This documentary gives us a view at Cuba's Fidel Castro. Castro has been one of the most talked about leaders this century and has managed to "control" or stay in power more than any other head of state alive today. Demonized and admired by millions worldwide, Castro is seen as he is today, an aged man with stories and anecdotes that would require volumes to ever capture on film. I highly suggest viewing this film, regardless of you political persuasion. For those who view Castro as a revolutionary , the always active and still brilliant way that he answers some of Stone's toughest questions, this film will probably further your admiration in this charismatic figure. For those who view him as a ruthless dictator, you might see this film as a bit soft. Stone does not insult him or complicate him, at least not to a level that Castro can not handle. Maybe it is the fact that this documentary shows a human being and not our common image of a communist on the quest for power.

"Comandante" has all the virtues (and defects) one could expect from Oliver Stone: great editing, a bigger-than-life protagonist, and a close, albeit superficial, look at the political myths of the 60s and 70s: Kennedy, Nixon, Kruschev, Che Guevara --they are all here, plus Castro himself, of course. Stone is not a professional journalist, and at some points, one wonders about the depth of his research on Castro's darkest side. On the other hand, he does ask some tough questions. Castro provides some answers, too, which you may believe or not, and only in very few occasions does he elude a straight reply. But then again, isn't that what most politicians would do (e.g. Bill Clinton commenting on his "relationship" with Monica Lewinsky)? And at some points, Castro's insights prove revealing and even illuminating. All in all, "Comandante" is a good documentary, as it sheds some light on a most interesting and troubled period of our history. I hardly think Castro's portrait in the film is 100% positive: he is too complex a character to emerge as a saintly figure, especially for a 100-minute documentary. I see him as some sort of political dinosaur who has managed to survive in his Caribbean time-capsule. If you liked "Jurassic Park", you'll probably enjoy "Comandante".