Well before his half a century run as the leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro was making waves in the United States. He became a hot topic, and everyone wanted him dead before he could perform his speech in front of the United Nations. The Hotel Theresa, which housed Castro during this time, would become a historical landmark, but its actual cultural relevancy gets explored pretty in depth in Killing Castro. This film does a great job at depicting a unique time, peppering it with real life people, including the president of the United States and, of course, Malcolm X. Despite not knowing much about this time in Fidel Castro’s life, there is still a genuine level of authenticity to the proceedings. Killing Castro is a decent enough time, filled with a game ensemble cast and a truly great lead performance as Fidel Castro from underrated actor Diego Boneta.
Narrated by Leo (Xolo Maridueña), a bellboy at the Hotel Theresa, Killing Castro establishes all the major players before the shit really hits the fan in the final act. It takes its time setting the table so that when we get to the high stakes situations, they feel all the more tense. This crime thriller reminded me of the movie Smokin’ Aces. Things are mostly relegated to a single setting, where we can follow all these disparate characters that add to the larger whole. Everyone orbits around Fidel Castro. The manager of the hotel (KiKi Layne) is worried about harming the hotel’s reputation, considering the work she has put in to get them out of the hole. However, a CIA agent played by Al Pacino has other things in mind, especially when considering her father’s criminal history.
Meanwhile, Leo pines for the manager’s affection, while also manipulating Fidel Castro and slightly being taken under his wing. Some other players that are established are either hitmen or they are conducting business privately scheming to overthrow Castro before he can give that speech. Malcom X (Kendrick Sampson) also has his own agenda, emphasizing the need for revolution. As paranoia grows and competing agendas collide, the operation becomes increasingly chaotic, with the fate of international relations hanging in the balance.
Without question, the film’s greatest asset is Diego Boneta. Boneta completely commits to the role, capturing Castro’s massive ego and larger-than-life presence. Whether he’s delivering political rhetoric, manipulating those around him, or simply basking in the attention that follows him everywhere, he dominates nearly every scene. The performance gives the movie an energy that it often struggles to generate elsewhere. Outside of Castro himself, many characters feel thinly sketched. Leo and the hotel staff receive some development, but several political figures, agents, and conspirators enter and exit the narrative without leaving much of an imprint. The script from Thomas DeGrezia and Leon Hendrix III introduces numerous players, but struggles to give many of them meaningful arcs.
Cinematographer Zak Mulligan maintains a slick visual style that keeps things moving, even when the story occasionally stalls. The opening narration and quick-cut editing help establish a brisk pace early on. Despite the extensive planning by intelligence agencies, the film repeatedly demonstrates how unpredictable history can be. Killing Castro succeeds more as a historical curiosity than as a nail-biting political thriller.
A recreation of Castro’s famous New York visit and the surrounding Cold War tensions provides plenty of interesting material, and Diego Boneta delivers a genuinely captivating performance as Fidel Castro. Unfortunately, the assassination storyline never quite reaches its full potential, leaving the film feeling less suspenseful than its premise suggests. Still, for viewers interested in Cold War history and political intrigue, there’s enough here to make Killing Castro worth putting out a hit for.
Killing Castro debuted at 2026’s Tribeca Film Festival.
