For many, he’s just some cool looking guy wearing a beret adorning a classic T-shirt, but there was a bit more to Che Guevara’s life than that.

However, you’d have to look long and hard at Steven Soderburgh’s double-barrelled cinematic opus to discover very much more about the real Che. Despite the film’s two parts and total running time of four and a half hours, it really only focuses on two sections of his life.

Part one is set in Cuba, where we follow the young Argentine doctor’s rise through Fidel Castro’s communist ranks, quickly becoming an invaluable commander with a gift for gaining the respect of his men. Ernesto 'Che' Guevara (Benicio Del Toro) is charming, idealistic, and a great soldier, despite suffering from acute asthma – which is more of a problem than you might think, running around in humid jungles. He is seen as a born leader and revolutionary. Despite the hardships of their men being away from their families so long, the revolution in Cuba is a success. Hoorah.

¡Argentina, don't cry for me, y'hear, no tearos por favor!

Although hailed as a “Cuban citizen by birth” by the newly appointed government, Guevara decides to leave the island to continue the good fight elsewhere. Part two finds him in Bolivia, a couple of years later. Although using different names, it appears that most people he comes into contact with know exactly who he is – maybe the T-shirt gave him away? However, the struggle in Bolivia is on a different scale to that in Cuba, and despite his experience and wisdom, he comes unstuck against the Bolivian Special Forces.

There’s no denying director Soderburgh’s eclectic body of work (some great, some good, one or two OK) but it feels like he loses the plot somewhat in the darkest depths of the South American jungles.

Despite the film’s epic length, the audience is still none the wiser about the man behind the legend. There is no exploration of his childhood, or family life for that matter: his wife and five children are merely mentioned in passing. Instead, Soderburgh, more than a couple of times, focuses on Guevara greeting his men, going down a line, saying hello and giving them a manly hug. We get it Steven, he’s a friendly guy, move on.

He flashes forwards and back quite a bit too – certainly not on the same scale as say Lost – but enough to disorientate and confuse, which isn’t that welcome in a four and half hour film.

What makes it watchable though is Benicio Del Toro’s saving-the-day performance. He steers well clear of a creating a larger than life persona; instead focusing on the subtle nuances of the beardy man. The only criticism perhaps, is that he comes across as a saintly figure, even when organising the deaths of traitors to the cause. He’s depicted as an out and out hero, without even a hint of ruthlessness about him. A fair portrayal then? Perhaps not. As the film is based on his own memoirs, perhaps Che just left the odd bit of personal detail out?

In the end though, perhaps the project was a greater labour of love for Del Toro, rather than the director. Which is a shame, as the film had the potential (and talent on board) to offer far more detail about the man behind the T-shirt. Unfortunately, this is a real missed opportunity, as this should have been the quintessential Che film. Instead, it’s just two chapters on a remarkable figure who had volumes more that could have been revealed to the world.