Hotel Rwanda Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)January 7th, 2005
HOTEL RWANDA
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
While the world still rightly anguishes over the horrors of the Holocaust, with literally hundreds and perhaps thousands of films having been made about it, HOTEL RWANDA is the first major motion picture that depicts a similar and much more recent incident in Rwanda just a decade ago. There, one side (Huto) attempted their own Final Solution by attempting to kill all of the other side (Tutsi), with hacking to death by machetes being one of the most popular means of massacre. One million people died in the process, as the feckless United Nations stood idly by while the slaughter continued. Only in limited evacuations did they do any good whatsoever. The people who perished in this genocide finally get some of their story told in HOTEL RWANDA, something of a SHINDLER'S LIST of a true story about Paul Rusesabagina, a middle class manager of a four star hotel. A Huto himself, he put his life on the line to save over one thousand adults and children, mainly Tutsis, from being murdered.
In a breathtaking performance that could easily be the best performance he will ever give, Don Cheadle plays Rusesabagina, a hardworking, savvy and infinitely resourceful man who uses his charisma and his fast-thinking instincts to talk his way out of one impossible situation after another. As the world effectively ignores their plight, he turns his hotel in an oasis in a time of war. Bodies line the streets outside his hotel's compound, but he keep finding just the right bribe -- until the money, cigars and single malt scotch run out -- or the right manipulative lie to keep his charges alive.
Nick Nolte, in a small but important part, plays Colonel Oliver, the U.N. officer guarding Rusesabagina's hotel for a while. The colonel is appalled and disgusted by his employers' lack of conviction. Meanwhile, on the radio, like the infamous Clinton argument about what the meaning of the word "is" is, a U.N. official eschews the use of the word "genocide" about the situation in Rwanda because the organization has "strict standards" on when to apply that term. The official argues that such a determination has not yet been made that the killings have reached the genocide threshold. While the U.N.'s wordsmiths argue, troops under their command aren't permitted to do anything to stop the slaughter.
The movie's chief delight is observing Rusesabagina evolve from a company man, who is heard to remark early on that "There is nothing we can do," to one who is willing to risk everything for his fellow man. Meanwhile, the rest of the world fiddles as Rwanda burns.
The entire world now is pitching in to help out the victims of the recent tsunami, but ten times as many were killed in a relatively short time in Rwanda while the world, and its chief humanitarian body, the U.N., did nothing to even attempt to prevent it.
HOTEL RWANDA runs 2:01. It is rated PG-13 for "violence, disturbing images and brief strong language" and would be acceptable for teenagers
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, January 7, 2005. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
