638 Ways to Kill Castro

2006

Documentary / History

2
IMDb Rating 6.9/10 10 460 460

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Plot summary

Dollan Cannell's documentary on the hundreds of alleged plots to assassinate Fidel Castro, and a look at the evolution of Cuban politics. If the title of this extraordinary film sounds ludicrous, don't be fooled. This film looks at the incredible story of the 638 alleged plots by the CIA and Cuban exiles to kill the Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Director

Top cast

480p.DVD
666.13 MB
720*576
English 2.0
NR
us  
50 fps
1 hr 15 min
Seeds 68

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by lee_eisenberg 7 / 10

...and I wouldn't be surprised if they're cooking up another plot right now

Over the years, I've heard about the various ways that the US government has tried to assassinate Fidel Castro. Through interviews with Fabian Escalante (the former head of Cuban intelligence), the makers of "638 Ways to Kill Castro" learned that there had in fact been that many, and they even enumerate how many under each US president.The documentary uses a Michael Moore-style approach: as they explain things, they intersperse footage from other sources to move the action along. While some people may find this distracting, I have always considered it one of the most interesting approaches to film-making. And anyway, we have to focus on the documentary's main point: we're in the midst of a so-called war on terrorism, and yet we try to assassinate a head of state and meanwhile allow known terrorist Orlando Bosch (one of the vilest people on Earth) to live within our borders. Rarely has there been such hypocrisy.I recommend this documentary if only for that. It is important for people to see beyond the Bush administration's lies and hypocrisy, even if the scenes from old movies look a little jarring. Worth seeing.
Reviewed by JustCuriosity 7 / 10

Entertaining, but unfocused documentary

638 Ways to Kill Castro screened at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX. It is a fun and entertaining film to watch, but the lightheartedness and focus on the silliest of the plots against Castro often seems to undermine the audience's ability to take the film and the issues they are raising seriously. The choice of editing in footage from old black and white crime noir movies into a documentary to illustrate plots to kill Castro is an odd one that seems to detract from the factual nature of the documentary.The film starts by focusing on the humorous nature of the CIA and Cuban exile plots against Castro and then seems to turn suddenly to the subject of terrorist acts by the anti-Castro groups. The two subjects really seem to be separate, albeit related, ones. The film's style and approach mocks the anti-Castro groups even though their actions and their influence in American politics is very serious. These groups are easy targets, because they are so outlandish and often ridiculous. On the other hand, they give short shrift to genuine reasons that the anti-Castro groups hate the Cuban dictator and what he's done to their country. In so doing the film portrays Castro as a heroic figure and mostly ignores the human rights violations of his regime. Just because the anti-Castro groups are ridiculous, doesn't mean that Castro should be viewed as the savior of Cuba.Late in the film, the documentary focuses on the fundamental contradictions between the U.S. "War on Terror" and its support of anti-Castro "terrorists." This would have made a much more substantive topic for a documentary than the putting so much focus on the many silly plots against Castro. While the documentary provides a good window on an important subject, it could have been a much better and more informative film than it ended up if the film makers were more focused and less interested in mocking the anti-Castro groups and U.S. policy.
Reviewed by sol-kay 7 / 10

Operation: Kill Castro

Since his ascension to power on New Years Day 1959 Cuban President and Dictator Fidel Ruz Castro has been in the cross-hairs of not only free Cubans who were forced to leave their homeland because of his socialistic policies but also the US Government; Ten Presidential Administrations worth. Among the others gunning for Castro's hide is US, at home and abroad, Big Business and last but not least the notorious criminal octopus-like Mafia. It was the Mafia whom Castro kicked out of the country together with their casinos hookers and drug traffickers soon after he took power in 1959.In the film "638 ways to Kill Castro" were shown just how far these groups would be willing to go to knock off Fidel Castro, code name "The Beard" or "El Beardo", and at the same time how they screwed up every time, 638 times as of last count, they tried! Watching the many almost comical attempts on Castro's life the thing that struck me about Castro's would-be assassins is that no matter how much they want him dead their not willing to risk their lives, or even their freedoms, in order to kill him!It's even brought out in the documentary about using an Arab, suicide bomber I would suspect, to get the job done but even that won't work. No matter how extreme an Arab or Muslim Islamic fanatic is in risking or losing his, or her, life he needs to be properly motivated to do it. How could you motivated him to kill Fidel Castro! A person whom an Islamic fanatic has no reason to get himself killed, in killing him, for! Would killing Castro bring him eternal paradise in his slaying an enemy of Islam?Were shown in film clips the "Bay of Pigs" invasion of Cuba back in the spring of 1961 that turned into a major disaster for the then incoming John F. Kennedy Administration. A humiliated JFK became so obsessed to get Castro that he personally planned, through the CIA and Mafia, 42 attempted "hits" on El Beardo's, Castro, life up until the time that he himself was assassinated on November 22, 1963. The attempts on Castro's life increased with every preceding US Presidential Administration reaching the final count, as of November 2000, of 638! With a record high reached during President Ronald Wilson Reagan's Administration, 1981-1989, of 197! An average of 24 attempts on Fidel Castro's life a year!The movie shows just how hard ,if not impossible, it is to get close enough to Castro in order to knock him off. One thing that the film seems to ignore or overlook is how popular Castro is in his native Cuba which may well be the reason why he's been in power for almost 50 years. Those shown in the movie who want to do Castro in come across as what we, or the Bush Administration, would consider to be members of El-Qeada or the Taliban terrorist organizations. The film brings out how disingenuous US President GW Bush is in his statement that "Either your with us or with the Terrorists". It's both sad and ironic how that fighting and sh*t-kicking statement compares to GW's whole hearted support of those who want to do in "El Beardo". Who in their actions, like the bombing in 1976 of a Cuban passenger airliner with over 70 people killed, more then fit the bill that President Bush describes as the terrorists that he's so dedicated to eradicate!With Fidel Castro now voluntary out of power, having his younger brother Raul take over, even if he's assassinated it will just be a hollow victory to those who've been out to get him for almost half a century. All the attempts and lives lost, by both sides, in trying to take Castro out has now become history with Fidel Castro no longer a factor in running Cuba. A history that many in the CIA US State Department and free Cuban Community, in both the USA and abroad, will very well want to forget.
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