By Lubna Abdel-Aziz No, he is not a household name. Nonetheless, he is one of the greatest actors alive. On screen he brings a certain magnetism that hypnotizes the viewer long after the show is over. In a three minute appearance as Fred Fenster, a mumbling, wisecracking character in The Usual Suspect (1995), Benicio del Toro had the whole cast rolling with laughter and won himself an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor. As Javier Rodriguez, the Mexican border policeman struggling to remain honest in a drug infested environment in Traffic (2001), Benicio won his Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Traffic was directed by the versatile Oscar and Cannes Palmeres winner, Steven Soderbergh. This amazing duo is back again collaborating on the very much anticipated biography of the Argentinean doctor turned revolutionary, Ernesto Guevera, better known to all as "Che." The 4-hour, 2-part production premiered at the recent Cannes Film Festival, where Benicio won Palme d'Or for Best Actor for his outstanding performance, the only well deserved trophy on their most disappointing closing night. Can we help but wait with bated breath to witness what these two first rate talents have created together again -- definitely "a thing of beauty." Nothing less than profoundly moving is expected from Benicio, and judging from the acclaim nothing less is received. Che is divided in two episodes; the first The Argentine follows Guevara's acquaintance with the Cuban brothers, Fidel and Raul Castro in Mexico through the stages of their revolt to overthrow Batista's government. In his customary detailed exposure, Soderbergh chronicles the triumphant guerrilla campaign. Impressive in his coherence dir. Soderbergh reveals how the initially tiny army, recruited support from mountain and valley until they were able to overturn Batista's forces. The second episode Guerrilla is devoted to the Che's guerrilla campaign in Bolivia in 1969. Attempting to repeat his Cuban victory Che uses the same tactics in order to cultivate popular support. But by then both the American Intelligence Agency, CIA and the Bolivian government were well aware of his strategy and were able to counterattack Che's insurgency, resulting in Che's failed revolt and death in Bolivia. It is understandable that a much acclaimed film about Che Guevara, a communist who still inspires the youth worldwide, with his image stamped on every other T- shirt, is not warmly received by American critics. They prefer to see him as a cold-blooded murderer and psychopath, fond of killing blindfolded men and boys, rather than the chivalrous hero, triumphant in combat. Critics have also pointed fingers at Castro as the CIA informer who constantly fed the agency with information about his friend Che's whereabouts thereby bringing about his defeat and demise. There is still much controversy over the real Che. His admirers may be disillusioned to learn of a more accurate description by several historians. Ernesto Guevara De la Serna y Lynch is depicted as an aimless Bohemian who abandoned career, wife and country, and wandered off to Guamala where he linked up with Nico Lopez, a Cuban exile, and later with the Castro brothers. Was he a blood thirsty psychopath who thrilled at the sight of death according to an account by one of the witnesses, or is he the legendary idealist that we all want to look up to? Whatever the political views, the final production of the film sees Che through rosy glasses, the Che already chiselled in our conscience? Director Steve Soderbergh is a product of Cannes when he became the surprise Palmeres winner for his first film Sex, Lies and Videotapes (1989). He later went on to win an Oscar for Traffic, and help Julia Roberts win hers for Erin Brokovich. With a variety of different genres under his belt, he brings us once again a masterfully directed product that is bound to engage the viewers in a provocative exchange of ideas about the real Che. We make no attempt to hide our boundless admiration for actor Benicio del Toro, He has the utmost respect of every professional actor who regard him with awe. For the benefit of those who have never heard of him or thrilled to his performances, we shall once again offer a brief outline of the life and career of this actor's actor and hope you will seek him in one of the dozen or so films he has appeared in. Born to a family of lawyers and physicians in Puerto Rico in 1969, at age 13 Benicio and older brother Gustav moved to Pennsylvania with their father, shortly after their mother's death. On graduating from high school he enrolled at the University of California Business School in San Diego. Following a successful drama course, Benicio changed his life plan. He dropped out of business for the love of acting. He studied with renowned teachers Stella Adler and Arthur Mendoza. Appearances in several television shows in the late 1980s led to work in films during the 90s. Though many were box-office disappointments, Benicio did not go unnoticed. His bit role in the Usual Suspects led to awards and acclaim and with Traffic he became known in the film circles as an overwhelming talent. Traffic won director Soderbergh an Oscar for Best Director, but it is Benicio who stole the show. Although most of his lines were spoken in Spanish, it was his acting that transcended all barriers and dominated the film. He won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as becoming a powerful player in Hollywood. His good looks were no deterrent; he is jokingly referred to as the Spanish Brad Pitt. On a more serious note, his work has been compared to Marlon Brando and James Dean. How much better can you get! Benicio was nominated for another Oscar on the acting tour-de-force drama 21 Grams co- starring Sean Penn. He appeared in Robert Rodriguez Sin City and co-starred with Halle Berry in Things We Lost in the Fire. If you have missed all of his work, his Palme d'Or trophy film will soon be released and you can watch two favourite Latin heroes -- "Che Guevera and Benicio del Toro." How the US will receive Soderbergh's tribute to the Argentine rebel, remains to be seen! How audiences will receive Benicio del Toro's in his performance is in no doubt. He will be received warmly with smiles and cheers. Never meddle with play actors, for they're a favourite race Cervantes, Don Quixote (1547-1616)
