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
Review date: 2005-05-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

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

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