Hotel Rwanda

One thing needs to be done right at the beginning, to bow down to the creators for taking on a seemingly uninteresting topic for America and making a film about it. However, director Terry George used the brutal fist of the Rwandan genocide only as a backdrop for the story of one man who accomplished the almost impossible. If I had to compare Paul Rusesabagina to someone, it would definitely be Oskar Schindler. Through diplomatic talks and the almighty power of money, they managed to do one and the same thing. In the film, Rusesabagina is portrayed as a man who does not want to become a hero, but the price of human life is incalculable for him and his actions must therefore soon be understood by every viewer. Moreover, his character and humanity are perfectly portrayed thanks to the magnificent performance of Don Cheadle. Indeed, if it weren't for Jamie Foxx playing the blind Ray, Cheadle would have been assured of an Oscar. And while on the topic of actors, it would be a sin not to mention the excellent performances of Nick Nolte and Joaquin Phoenix, who handled their small but important roles very well, especially Phoenix's full beard, which is quite distracting. However, just like Hotel Rwanda has many merits, it also has many shortcomings, with the biggest one being the unevenness of the storytelling. The director tries to combine "action" scenes, where the militia murders the unarmed, with emotional and heavy decision-making scenes in a very subtle way, which results in a diametrical thereto. At times, I felt like I was watching two movies at the same time, which also strongly deviated from the original theme of the storytelling. But neither the "action" nor the impression is the point. It's about the value of a human life and how much strength one is willing to sacrifice for it. This is what Hotel Rwanda tells a great story about. It’s been four years since we got Black Hawk Down by Ridley Scott, and here we get another very raw and harsh "postcard" from Africa. (09/07/2005)

A disgrace to the rich Western world and a demonstration of the inefficiency of UNPROFOR troops, materialized on the screen, and after a long time finally a film that is "about something". A raw, terrorizing atmosphere, a superb Don Cheadle and overall a film that can bring the more sensitive to tears. At the end, the filmmakers play too much on emotions, but in films of this type it is forgiven. PS: I'm slowly becoming allergic to French politics. Their active trade relations with Saddam's Iraq, or their supply of arms to the genocidal Rwandan Hutus (see the clearly audible idea from the film), say a lot. (15/06/2005)

“I think if people see this footage they'll say, "Oh my God that's horrible!" ...and then go on eating their dinners. That’s right, I couldn’t put it better than in this quote from the movie. An outstanding picture which, despite the topic, leaves no lasting impression. Which is surprising at the very least. (21/04/2022)

The brilliant performance by Don Cheadle, who by the way had a very-well deserved Oscar nomination, strongly contrasts with the director's lack of enthusiasm for the material and his inability to create sufficient feedback, thus also failing to provide the strong and emotionally rich experience that one would need. The austere formal aspect is not a problem and allows the rawness and authenticity of the setting to stand out, with the greatest emphasis not being so much on the action scenes, but rather on the dialogues. However, I was unpleasantly surprised by the fact that the film emotionally affected me significantly only in two scenes. The absence of a big screen, and consequently the lack of sound effects, may have played a part, both the whole project seems too cold to me. So cold that I consider the average rating to be sufficient in this case. (06/11/2005)

At the beginning, it beautifully shows the absurdities that can lead to an uprising in a country. The rest of the film then presents what such absurdity can cause. This is almost unbelievable and makes your stomach turn. It's a wonder Paul and his family managed to survive. It really does seem like a miracle. But the madness of people, that's what makes the biggest impression. (07/04/2017)