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Victor Huggo Martin, Gael García Bernal, Patricia Velasquez, Maurice Compte, Margarita d'Francisco ... see more see more... , Enrique Arce , Jose María Yazpik , Manuel Sevilla , Alejandra Gollas , Ernesto Godoy , Guillermo Díaz , Tony Plana , Hector Elizondo , Honorato Magaloni , Cecilia Suárez , Melvin Rodriguez , Bobby Plasencia , Reynaldo Christian , Patricia Velazquez

Filmed in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, this massive biography of Cuban leader Fidel Castro begins in the 1950s, when the title character, then a young and hungry lawyer, bristles at the iniquiti... read more read more...es and corruption of the Batista political regime. Inspired by the words by left-wing radio commentor Eddie Chibas (Hector Elizondo), Fidel becomes active in a revolutionary movement aimed at toppling Fulgencio Batista (Tony Plana). In 1959, Castro and his followers stage a spectacularly successful coup, one that is staunchly supported by thousands of idealists and Cuban expatriates in the United States. Unfortunately, to paraphrase cartoonist Bill Mauldin, no sooner has Fidel come down from the hills like Robin Hood than he begins behaving like the Sheriff of Nottingham, killing scores of his political enemies in round-the-clock executions, routinely snatching away the basic human rights that he had promised his followers, and embracing Communism with a fervent passion. Although the film does not shy away from showing the darker side of Castro, it is essentially sympathetic to its subject, balancing the Cuban dictator's political outrages with his many acts of benevolence, and attempting to provide "motivation" for what seem to be appalling contradictions. Victor Huggo Martin and Honorato Magaloni are cast respectively as the younger and older Castro, with Maurice Compte as his brother Raul and Gael Garcia Bernal as the ill-fated Che Guevara.Fidel was originally telecast in two parts over the Showtime cable network on January 27 and 28, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

69% liked it

1,709 ratings

Critics

60% liked it

20 critics

Unrated, 4 hr.

Directed by: David Attwood

Release Date: October 18, 2002

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DVD Release Date: July 22, 2003

Stats: 66 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (66)

  • brunolot1
    February 10, 2012
    brunolot1
    Great movie. It tells many facts about Castro's life including some romances, family, his time out of Cuba, and of course the revolution. Great acting by all the cast. The only thing that I didn't like was the fact that after the revolution, the American movie showed somethings o... read moref what the Americans think about him and his government there and not really true facts.

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Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas
March 6, 2003
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Purely propaganda, a work of unabashed hero worship, it is nonetheless -- and likely inadvertently -- a timely and invaluable implicit reminder of the role that U.S. foreign policy has played in the r... Full Review

Geoff Pevere
January 31, 2003
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

Makes an aborbing if arguable case for the man's greatness. Full Review

Liam Lacey
January 31, 2003
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Has the kitsch appeal of a farm implement on a restaurant wall, or an Andy Warhol Mao poster: Interesting, but not for its original purpose.

Janice Page
January 3, 2003
Janice Page, Boston Globe

Audiences will find no mention of political prisoners or persecutions that might paint the Castro regime in less than saintly tones.

Desson Thomson
December 6, 2002
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Although Estela Bravo's documentary is cloyingly hagiographic in its portrait of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, it's still a guilty pleasure to watch.

Frank Scheck
October 18, 2002
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

Sacrifices the value of its wealth of archival foot-age with its less-than-objective stance.

Jan Stuart
October 17, 2002
Jan Stuart, Newsday

Ninety minutes of Viva Castro! can be as tiresome as 9 seconds of Jesse Helms' anti- Castro rhetoric, which are included Full Review

A.O. Scott
October 17, 2002
A.O. Scott, New York Times

This is an exercise not in biography but in hero worship. Full Review

Jon Dolan
October 15, 2002
Jon Dolan, Village Voice

We get an image of Big Papa spanning history, rather than suspending it. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
November 18, 2008
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Offers a completely one-sided view of Castro and his life and career. Full Review

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  • Fidel Castro can be glimpsed in the crowd scenes in the movie Holiday in Mexico>  Answer »
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