Hotel Rwanda is an amazing political action thriller based on a true story about a man who saves over a thousand people during a civil war in Rwanda. It is sort of like an African version of Schindler’s List, and was nominated for three Academy Awards.

Don Cheadle (Ocean’s Eleven/Twelve, Traffic) stars as hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina. The first several minutes of the movie establish him as the man in charge of operations at the nicest hotel in Rwanda. He’s the ultimate business professional and family man and bears all the qualifications of being a natural born leader. He’s also very well connected with the local military leaders as well as the U.N. peacekeepers stationed in Rwanda.

In Rwanda, there are two main tribes of people – the Tutsis and the Hutu. When the Hutu militia rose up and assassinated the president, they began a bloody sweep across the country and slaughtered as many of the Tutsis as they could get to, including women and children. Paul himself is a Hutu, but his wife and other family members are Tutsis, so he does his best to remain neutral in the situation. The problem is that when I war is going on all around you, it is impossible to remain neutral.

After a series of murders and payoffs lead Paul to bring his family and many others back to the hotel, they sort of establish a last place of sanctity in the crazy situation. The entire country is burning down around them and the hotel is the only place of refuge for many homeless people, but the Hutu militia won’t wait long because they know Paul has some Tutsis inside. When the political situation goes from bad to worse, it becomes a race against time for Paul to get his family and everyone else out of there before they are all killed.

Nick Nolte stars as the leader of the U.N. peacekeepers, whose job is to basically do nothing but stand there. They aren’t allowed to shoot or engage the enemy. As his character says, “We are peacekeepers, not peacemakers.” When an order comes down to evacuate all the Westerners (in other words, white people), it seems like a death sentence for Paul and the hotel guests, but they keep finding ways to buy themselves time and find a solution to their problem.

Hotel Rwanda is a seriously intense film, made more so powerful by the fact that this is a true story. It is an action film, but there aren’t any big shoot-outs or massive explosions like some kind of fictional movie. There are not muscle-bound heroic commandos in this film. Director Terry George did a wonderful job of establishing the characters as real people who did not want to fight but were forced into it by the situation. You will find yourself caring for and worrying about these people as this two-hour movie goes along. It is not until the last few minutes that you find out what ultimately became of them.

Cheadle dominates this movie from beginning to end and is in just about every scene. He adopted an accent for the role, but you quickly adjust to it. His Oscar nomination was very well earned, though he did not win. Sophie Okonedo stars as Cheadle’s wife and has several very emotional scenes as she tries to protect their children while her husband is out dealing with the militia. She was also nominated for an Oscar.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it to anyone who loves true stories of heroism and bravery. Although rated PG-13, it does have some very gory parts, so be warned. The DVD includes some different commentaries and a documentary on the making of the movie.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older