Comandante

Exploding cigars are one thing, but when the Yanks send you Oliver Stone as an interviewer, you know things have come to a pretty pass. Still, Fidel Castro's wiles haven't deserted him yet. When a buffoonish American big-shot fingering an Oliver Hardy moustache brings his DV camera a-questioning, you call his bluff with silver-tongued half-answers, make like friends, and be sure he gets on his plane. So when the key question inevitably comes up, Castro pauses only to wonder 'What is a dictator? And is it bad?' before 'fessing the scoop: 'I am a dictator to myself, I am a slave to my people.' Seems he has always tried to solve problems through persuasion and 'moral authority' - hence the interminable speeches. Stone, on the other hand, still has ants in his pants. At the first hint of a full stop he's changing subject. The short concentration span editing and bombastic musical scoring are likewise par for the course. The pair make a smug double act, but you can't fault them for charisma. Chuck any hopes of historical testimony, and this dishes up a colourful cat and mouse game - with the rare sight of Stone as the mouse.