Amazon.co.uk Review
Solidly built around a subtle yet commanding performance by Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda emerged as one of the most highly-praised dramas of 2004. In a role that demands his quietly riveting presence in nearly every scene, Cheadle plays real-life hero Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager in the Rwandan capital of Kigali who in 1994 saved 1,200 Rwandan "guests" from certain death during the genocidal clash between tribal Hutus, who slaughtered a million victims, and the horrified Tutsis, who found safe haven or died. Giving his best performance since his breakthrough role in Devil in a Blue Dress, Cheadle plays Rusesabagina as he really was during the ensuing chaos: "an expert in situational ethics" (as described by critic Roger Ebert), doing what he morally had to do, at great risk and potential sacrifice, with an understanding that wartime negotiations are largely a game of subterfuge, cooperation, and clever bribery. Aided by a United Nations official (Nick Nolte), he worked a saintly miracle, and director Terry George (Some Mother's Son) brings formidable social conscience to bear on a true story you won't soon forget. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
Customer Reviews:
A snapshot of the atrocities in the forgotten country of Rwanda.......2008-01-29
They'll say, 'that's horrible, and then go back to eating their supper' says Pheonix when describing the reaction of the Western world to the events portrayed. There in lies the irony in watching this film. We are shocked, we carry on, we write a review. A very, very powerful film but not truly deserving of 5*. To give it more than 4* would be out of guilt at the collective inability of the West to react to this or other similar situations, and I feel that this would be a little patronising. The story may be about a 5* atrocity but technically this film is not a true masterpiece. Thought provoking and engaging.
Rwanda, like the Holocaust, deserves our unrelenting interest.......2008-01-25
This is the heroic story of a very modest and self-effacing man.
Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu married to a Tutsi wife, managed to save over 1000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu, not to mention political opposition party members, who were hiding in the hotel of which he was the manager. He did this with no further weapons but his personal charisma, negotiating skill, tact, and unfailing insight into the mentality of his fellowmen turned `genocidaires' .
This story of one brave man, who committed to save other human beings while the western world turned its face callously ignoring the carnage, had to be told. Therefore, the critique that the film is too `Hollywood' is quite empty since it is questionable whether this story and all other subsequent stories would have been told at all, if director Terry George did not make a start.
Especially noteworthy too, is the fact that unlike the much acclaimed `Shooting Dogs', the heroism in Hotel Rwanda remains firmly in the hands of an African man, and the whole tone of the film steers away from cheap emotionalism and shock value to maintain and mirror the calm, cerebral approach of its main protagonist. The result is nonetheless gut-wrenching.
It is held that a film's first obligation is to be entertaining - but anyone viewing a film about Rwanda for the purpose of entertainment, or to satisfy an appetite for gratuitous violence is missing the point. Rwanda, like the Holocaust, deserves our unrelenting interest, not out of sordid curiosity, but out of a desire to understand ourselves as humans, to remember the victims, to honour their accounts, to commiserate with their ordeal, to condemn their suffering, to discuss the reasons and to learn from our omissions, lest we be doomed to the same errors over and over again. For these reasons we must watch this film.
One Of The Best Films Ever Made!.......2007-12-30
Hotel Rwanda is undoubtedly ONE OF THE BEST FILMS EVER MADE and it is the best film I have ever seen. It touches almost every emotion. When I first watched this awesome film, I cried, laughed and even felt angry. The storyline is a great one - An Ordinary Hotel Manager who saves thousands of lives during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Don Cheadle's performance as Paul Rusesabagina is breathtaking, as is Sophie Okonedo's performance as his wife. It is clear why this amazing film was nominated for 3 Oscars!! I would highly recommend Hotel Rwanda to everybody. I am 100% sure that you will enjoy it!!
Good movie, could have shown more........2007-11-22
This is a touching and moving acount of a people's struggle during the Rwandan genocide. The acting is top notch! My only problem with the film is that it doesn't show the brutality during the genocide, I'm not saying that I want a gorefest, but to show the actual violence to a certain level, would have hit the audience harder, to really send the mesaage home that the world stood and did nothing when these horrific events happened.
Moving.......2007-11-11
This is a very moving film of heroism and humanitarianism in the shameful Rwandan genocide which the West did nothing to stop. I watched it with admiration for the hero and shame for my own country. It is a sanitised account. Ho close up gory violence, no rape. my one criticism is that it seemed secularised, Africans pray far more than this film portrays.
Customer Reviews:
An exceptional resource.......2007-08-29
There is nothing but admiration for the lady's courage and her journey - although she never came face to face with her husband's killer the documentary is worth seeing and most especially the 2 Disc Special Edition which is every teachers perfect resource ......the second disk .....why can't more companies do that? It is so relevant, thought provoking and helpful - a brilliant, brilliant resource - invest in it for RE, PHSE or History ...or just for self to consider and think outside of the box.
Factual and stirring.......2007-06-01
Lesley Bilinda's documentary "Hunting My Husband's Killers" is a moving, stirring feature of a brave woman who had to endure what no human being should have to endure: The death of a husband - or any other loved one - in the course of mass murder or genocide. And who does not hold back her feelings regarding her husband's betrayal.
The extented scenes with commentaries and facts are very helpful for a better understanding of the situation in Ruanda during and after the genocide, and of Lesley's thoughts and emotions, as is her book "With What Remains".
I just can highly recommend to view this documentary (and, to complement it, to read the book)!
Ruth Watson.......2007-02-28
I discovered this film after reading the book 'With What Remains' by Lesley Bilinda. The film brought to life all that I had read of Lesley's return journey to Rwanda, both physically and emotionally. It was not unlike sitting on the edge of one's seat and pointing out to others something very personal..... somewhere you had visited and wanted to share with others.
The film is about people, real people with struggles and joys. A beautiful country shown as it really is, with its traffic, heavy rains and scenic views.
There is enough to whet your appetite to find out more about Rwanda and its history but the film does not dwell on this, instead it is the people themselves in all their suffering and loss and resilience who tell the story.
Lesley's personal journey is amazing and makes you wonder how you would have coped in her shoes. She was a victim too, having lost her husband in the genocide and shared the same legacy as the Rwandan people, identifying with personal betrayal which becomes clear as the filming progressed.
After all the suffering, there is much to give hope to the viewers of this film. We are encouraged by the quiet faith and perseverance of both the Rwandan people and Lesley herself.
I recommend this film wholeheartedly along with the 2nd disc which provides discussion topics and interviews with Lesley.
Food for Thought.......2006-04-20
A mixed message-Africa in all its beauty, genocide and all its horror, truth and deceit, and through it all Lesley Bilinda and her mission to find out about her husband's final hours. It is a moving story and makes one think so hard about how people can be thrown into situations requiring courage and strength without any warning. This is a thought provoking documentary and some scenes are harrowing but they have been filmed with sensitivity and honesty and are essential to the story. An excellent way of telling a difficult story with compassion and an illustration of how a strong faith can survive challenge.
An extraordinary journey.......2006-04-14
It's difficult to start to describe what this film covers. Beginning with a woman's journey to trace the facts around the death of her husband in the Rwandan genocide, it moves on to become a journey of self-discovery. As Lesley Bilinda finds out more and more of the painful fatcs, the more it reveals what a remarkable woman she is.
If she can hold on to her faith in such circumstances, it must be an inspiration for the rest of us.
Customer Reviews:
A BONE CHILLING TALE OF TERROR.......2007-08-05
It is very very difficult to write about this film without feeling the return of the horror that permeates throughout the 2 hrs that it runs for. Unfortunately it is a true story and one of many to come out of Africa but it is probably the most horrific. If you have only the smallest shred of humanity in your soul it will leave you deeply moved and effected in some way over how such an atrocity could ever have occurred without intervention from the supposed first world. I very strongly recommend this film for its shear ability to remind us all how well off we are. I defy anyone to watch without crying.
IN THE HEART OF DARKNESS..........2005-06-15
This film tells of a disturbing, shameful, and tragic episode in Rwandan history, a story that was shaped by the colonial racial politics of its former Belgian masters. In 1994, the African republic of Rwanda descended into civil war. The Hutu majority, inflamed by the political rhetoric of guerilla radio, rose up against the Tutsi minority. This tribal warfare led to mass murder, with neighbor against neighbor, and would eventually see nearly a million Rwandans killed.
During this time of great turmoil, fear, and slaughter, an oasis existed in the capital city of Kigali. That oasis was the Belgian owned luxury hotel, Milles Collines. There, its native manager, Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), a member of the Hutu majority, would find himself in the role of shepherd with a flock of refugees on his hands, which would include his own wife, Tatiana (Sophie Okenedo), a member of the Tutsi minority, and their children.
After the non-native guests and non-native refugees were evacuated to safety, Rusesabagina was left with the daunting task of taking care of nearly twelve hundred native guests and refugees, many of which were the hunted Tutsis, which just outside the gates of the hotel were being indiscriminately massacred, butchered with machetes or shot execution style at point blank range. Extermination of the Tutsi minority was the agenda of the day, and none, including children, were to be spared.
While a handful of United Nations peacekeepers were at the gates of the hotel, their presence was only for show, as their orders were not to shoot. One of them (Nick Nolte) finally told Rusesabagina, who was hoping for help from the outside world, that not a single country was going to lift a finger to help them, and he brutally told him exactly why. So, Rusesabagina was left with having to maneuver around the corrupt Hutu militia, getting supplies and whatever protection that he could, to ensure survival. Situational ethics was the order of the day, as Rusesabagina bribed, wheedled, and did everything he could to ensure that those in his care would survive and outlast the madness and carnage that was going on all around them.
This is a brilliant film, deftly directed by Terry George, who keeps the carnage and gore to a minimum. Yet, he manages with just a few well-placed scenes to convey a sense of the overwhelming magnitude of the genocide that took place, while the entire world watched and did nothing. Don Cheadle gives an amazing performance, low-keyed, controlled; yet, nonetheless, deeply moving. Were it not for the extraordinary performance of Jamie Foxx in "Ray", there is little doubt that Don Cheadle, who, along with Foxx, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, would have won. The rest of the supporting cast also give stellar performances.
This is a brilliantly acted, well-directed film that deserves a place in one's personal collection. Bravo!
A horrifying, eye-opening, yet uplifting and inspiring film.......2005-05-27
One of the most intensive killing campaigns in human history was conducted in the tiny Central African country of Rwanda in 1994. The brutal ethnic conflict between the Tutsis and the Hutus, which exploded into mass murder that year, have origins which go back to Belgium's colonial rule, where the minority Tutsis were favored, thus exacerbating differences between the two tribes.
In April 1994, the plane carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down. This event was the last straw which, after years of strife, triggered the tragic and brutal genocide. Extremist Hutu militia, aided by the Rwandan army, launched systematic massacres against Tutsis almost immediately after the plane crash. Despite reports of mass killings, most of the world turned a blind eye to the people of Rwanda. The UN failed to take immediate action to stop the bloody genocide, due to opposition from France and the US. Militiamen broke into supposedly sacrosanct Red Cross ambulances and hospitals searching for victims. Around 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed within 100 days, and over three million people fled to neighboring countries.
Terry George's "Hotel Rwanda" is a gritty, realistic depiction of this terrible tragedy. The storyline is based on the true life activities of a single, man whose goal was to save as many people as humanly possible. Don Cheadle plays Paul Rusesabagina, a Rwandan who formerly managed the Milles Collines, a Belgian-owned luxury hotel in the capital city of Kigali. When Hutu extremists begin to slaughter members of the minority Tutsi tribe, Rusesabagina, who has been working as a diplomat, returns to the hotel and does everything in his power to save his family, friends, then orphans, and ultimately strangers. He uses the 4 Star facility as a refuge for as many as the walls will hold, and then some. The film follows Rusesabagina, through his real life drama, as he wheels, deals, finagles and barters for seemingly every single human life he touches. A Huti married to a Tutsi, Paul qualifies as a target for both factions. His story is that of an ordinary man who rises-up, courageously, to defy death in the name of his fellow man. "Paul Rusesabagina saved the lives of 1,268 Africans by standing with them at Hotel Rwanda."
The almost nonstop fear, suspense and sense of anxiety which permeate this film are due, in part, to Mr. Cheadle's extraordinarily believable performance, and in part, because Director George so clearly conveys here the chilling reality of recent history. George, who co-wrote the script with Keir Pearson, was assisted in his work by the actual Paul Rusesabagina and by eye witnesses to the events.
The supporting cast is excellent and features: Sophie Okonedo, who gives an outstanding performance as Tatiana, Rusesabagina's wife; Joaquin Phoenix as Jack, an American news reporter; and Nick Nolte as the indefatigable UN Colonel Oliver, who tries against all odds to keep the peace.
Man's wont to commit genocide, in the 20th century alone, makes a somber, shameful statement about the human race. Watching "Hotel Rwanda" does take an emotional toll. It is a powerful, disturbing, educationally eye-opening experience. There are some extremely unsettling images, as when Rusesabagina and a co-worker get out of their vehicle on a foggy morning, just after dawn, to inspect the road for obstructions. They find it littered with corpses, as far as the eye can see. I found myself sobbing more than once. Do not let this deter you, however. This is a brilliant movie with some incredibly uplifting and inspiring moments. "Hotel Rwanda" is a must see film about a period in recent history when most of us were too busy going about our lives to pay much attention to what was going on a small world away.
JANA
Too powerful to be described by mere words.......2005-05-24
"The Kite Runner" may be the best book I have read in recent history, and without a doubt, "Hotel Rwanda" wins the corresponding prize for movies. Unable to believe the senseless violence and slaughter of innocents, my eyes opened wider and wider as the movie progressed, until at some point, the tears could not be held back any longer.
Don Cheadle aces a career making role as Paul Rusesabagina, the quiet, understated hotel manager of a five star hotel in Kigali, Rwanda, who breaks every rule in the management book to protect not only the hotel guests, but refugees from both sides of the genocide that rocked Rwanda in 1994, while the rest of the world looked the other way.
A Hutu by birth and passport stamp, Paul is married to a Tutsi woman (Sophie Okonedo, whose voice changes drastically in octave as the role demands), and by this distinction, his children are also Tutsi, and therefore branded as cockroaches to be exterminated.
Because of his position and well-placed contacts, Rusesabagina is able to cling tenuously to his little safe house, putting up a brave front for the 1200 people he is sheltering from the Hutu tribal forces. When he finds out that the UN peacekeepers cannot help them, and that the rest of the world doesn't want to know about African problems, he resorts to the local language, securing protection by whatever means necessary from the authorities, led by General Bizimungu, who has a weakness for Scottish water of life, foreign currency and self preservation. Being only human, and in a crisis situation, he makes crucial errors in judgment, but by his conviction he manages to hold it all together for as long as necessary.
There are too many powerful scenes to describe, and you have to watch the movie to fully appreciate the horror. There are no gory images as in "Saving Private Ryan" or "Blade", but the Director manages to effectively portray the despair and mass killings without being offensively graphic or crude. One of the most heart rending scenes takes place on a road in the early morning fog, and this is the final straw that rips through Rusesabagina's brittle façade of being in control.
Joaquin Phoenix (you know I have to mention him), in a small role as a cameraman sums it up best when he said "I've never been so ashamed."
This one is a must see.
UK DVD:
- Housewife 49 [2006]
- Howards' Way - Series 1 [1985]
- I Am Sam [2002]
- I Claudius - Complete BBC Series (5 Disc Box Set) [1976]
- Kidulthood Special Edition
- Lady Chatterley (2 Disc Collector's Edition) [2007]
- Lorna Doone
- Lynda La Plante - Trial And Retribution [1997]
- Macbeth [1971]
- Malcolm X [1992]
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