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Hotel Rwanda 2004 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Terry George
PG-13, 110 min. (violence, disturbing images, language) |
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Starring: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix
Producers: Terry George, A. Kitman Ho
Screenplay: Keir Pearson, Terry George
Cinematography: Robert Fraisse
Distributor: United Artists
Released: 12.22.04 (Limited) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
The power of the stunning docudrama Hotel Rwanda can be summed up by one of its characters; when asked why the outside world doesn't care, he replies,
"People see the horrors on television and say 'My God! That's horrible!' then go on eating their dinner." The film, which focuses on the Tutsi genocide at the hands
of the Hutus in 1994, has been compared to Spielberg's equally shattering Schidler's List, and considering the nearly one million corpses that littered the countryside
in Rwanda, it also reinforces the potential depths of evil in the human heart. Hotel Rwanda is a harrowing example of a motion picture that transcends genre and
the boundaries of film to invoke the visceral and emotional core of those who experience it. Director Terry George wisely focuses on one man's struggle to survive and
protect as many people as possible instead of attempting to encompass the entire tragedy within the confines of one film. And as the film reaches its tension-filled
conclusion, it becomes impossible to dismiss or ignore the ramifications of turning a blind eye to the world around us.
The story surrounds the life of a respected hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle in a powerful performance), who uses his skill as diplomat, caretaker,
and arbitrator to save the lives of 1,200 Tutsi refugees. His first concern, of course, is his Tutsi wife, Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo), and his children, who would be certainly
killed if found out. Paul is Hutu, has connections with the leaders of the genocide, and uses all his available assets to bribe and deal his way out of death. As the
genocide begins, the mostly European and American guests at his hotel (the four-star Hotel Des Milles Collines) watch in bewilderment and ask a U.N. colonel,
Oliver (Nick Nolte), for assistance. The best U.N. officials can offer is safe passage back to the airport for the visitors, but the natives are on their own. Paul is left
to smuggle and protect as many Tutsis from the outside anarchy, which has lined the streets with dead bodies in a horrific purge from Hutu rebels. Based on a true
story, Paul must continue to beg for help from European and American leaders while using a tentative relationship with an army general to ensure his refugees escape a
terrible fate.
George builds unbearable tension during the film's second and third acts by focusing intensely on Paul's every move and decision; it becomes an almost first-person
perspective since the audience cannot see much of the chaos that is unfolding just outside the hotel's less than secure gates. Imagining the terror and confusion, much
less the danger to one's family members, becomes a searing event in the viewer's mind. In one startling scene, we see Paul desperately trying to find his family amidst
the takeover of the hotel by the Hutu rebels - he knows they could be dead, especially since he implored his wife to take their own lives rather than be subjected to a
violent death. George juxtaposes similar scenes of panic with the shocking solemnity of the outside carnage, shown through television images and a scene in which Paul
regards a road full of bodies after his hotel van runs off the road. Paul is Hutu, but he is also human, and the horror of such evil is almost too much to bear; he is clearly
ashamed of his tribe and stunned at the level of hatred toward a people (called "cockroaches" by the Hutus) that are innocent victims of a revenge act (the Tutsis once
ruled Rwanda with an iron fist).
Hotel Rwanda succeeds primarily on the talents of Cheadle, Nolte, and Okonedo (Dirty Pretty Things.
For Cheadle, this is the role that will amost certainly cement as one of Hollywood's top actors; he has fashioned an effort that is unforgettable in its raw sense of helplessness.
His character is thrust into an unthinkable situation and must suppress fear in favor of leadership - he becomes a beacon of hope for those around him. A reliable character
actor for years, Cheadle is now an A-lister. Nolte plays a pitch-perfect note for Oliver, the U.N. colonel that has little control of the events unfolding around him. He's
a man who comes to understand that politics can be as evil as the murderers in the streets. Finally, Okonedo emerges from years of obscurity with a heartfelt effort as
Paul's terrified wife; she embodies the emotion that any mother in her situation would encompass. This is one of the best supporting roles of the year.
Hotel Rwanda is a relevant film because of current world events and the potential genocide that awaits in similarly poverty-stricken nations. That man has grown and
learned from history's mistakes is arguable; here we witness an event that happened only ten years ago and was more or less swept under the rug of the world's
consciousness. It emphasizes the fact that humanity, in any age or development, is capable of terrible evil, especially when hatred is the fuel of intolerance for others.
George has made a film that is one of the most important of the year, or any other year for that matter.
© 2004 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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