This documentary film comes across as Oliver and Fidel getting to know each other as two men in a pub would, rather than Oliver being behind the camera intruding into Fidel's life.

However 99 minutes just doesn't seem long enough to fully understand the man who's one of the world's most notorious leaders.

Oliver Stone spent three days filming with Fidel in Cuba and covered an array of subjects such as his rise to power, his fellow revolutionary Che Guevara, the Cuban Missile crisis, the Bay of Pigs, the US embargo, Elian Gonzalez and the present state of the country.

All subjects that could quite easily be the sole focus of a documentary, so if you already know something about any of them you'll end up being frustrated rather than enlightened from their treatment in the Comandante.

Oliver Stone always seems to produce his most impressive work when it has a political theme but this documentary genre is slightly different.

It's amazing to get such a close up view of a legendary character like Fidel Castro. As a documentary it's always going to be one sided and Fidel does come out of it as a likeable and decent man, who lives for the communist ideals of Cuba.

His general distrust of America and its policies comes across quite clearly, but rather than ranting and raving - perhaps due to his elderly years - Castro comes across as thoughtful and at times a bit overwhelmed by it all. The effect of so many close ups of his hands and haunted black eyes also reinforces this image of him.

Stone tries to get at his personal side, but we find out that he's a man who keeps his feelings inside, who's used to bad news, who's never considered seeing a psychiatrist, who doesn't believe in life after death but who believes in the future of Cuba.

We learn facts about the progress of his country, that there were about 40,000 graduates at the time of the revolution, but now there is 700,000 - he points out with understated irony that even the prostitutes are educated.

The film is littered with old footage of Fidel in his heyday, making his impassioned speeches but when his beard was slightly neater.

Stone accompanies him on a walkabout to a medical school where he's adored by the crowds in a way Tony Blair would surely envy.

One girl even runs off in hysterics after meeting Castro, in the way Beatles' fans used to scream and swoon.

As the film progresses, Stone becomes bolder with his questions once he's gained the trust and respect of the Cuban leader.

He's not quite Jeremy Paxman but he does attempt to grill Castro about his country's involvement in the Vietnam War and the alleged torture of US POWs by Cubans.

It works as a documentary because by the end of the film we feel we know Castro a bit more, we've witnessed his passion and belief in Cuba, he admits to making mistakes, he regrets not spending enough time with his children when they were young and his humour becomes increasingly evident.

He assures Stone he is capable of feeling and then demonstrates it at the end when he goes in for full-on bear hugs with Stone and his crew, before saying:

"Life is good because it brought you here."

Perhaps he knew that Stone's film would be enormously beneficial to his public image.

Victoria Saggers