Hotel Rwanda

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)

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)

Hotel Rwanda is one of those films that everyone without exception should watch so they can see the kind of people that live with us in the world, and make up their own minds and learn. From this perspective, this is a truly unique film full of emotion, friendship and human cruelty. In addition, all the woes and horrors are expressed solely through the character of Don Cheadle, who gives a fantastic performance, while blood and violence are not the main theme. But I’m giving it 4*, because the power of the original idea this time a outweighs little bit the final impression. (19/12/2011)

From an emotional perspective, it is an almost perfect film that is based on real events that took place during the infamous genocide in 1993. Excellent screenplay, quality casting, and clever direction. The result is a film that has been successful worldwide and has managed to convey the cruel events in Central Africa much better than the media. One of the best films of recent years. Overall impression: 100%. However, it is not a film that is capable of conveying a good mood, it is a distressing testimony about a country that is deformed by its poverty and ethnic hatred. (13/06/2006)

“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)