From Deseret News archives:
Hotel Rwanda
Film review
Don Cheadle stars as Paul Rusesabagina, a real-life hotel manager whose actions saved nearly 1,300 Rwandans whose lives were threatened by the bloody civil war there in the early 1990s. Paul appears to be safe from the racial strife he's a member of the Hutus, who are hunting down and killing Rwandans who happen to be Tutsis.
However, several of Paul's family members are Tutsis, so when the Hutu militia starts encroaching on his neighborhood, he agrees to take in Tutsis at his hotel, which is being protected by a handful of United Nations forces.
The sympathetic U.N. commander in charge (Nick Nolte) warns them that his soldiers have been advised not to fire on the Hutus. And as the fighting around them becomes more fierce, things aren't looking good.
Much of the film revolves around the relationship between Paul and his Tutsi wife, Tatiana (played by Sophie Okonedo). That story line pretty much dominates the film, in fact, and several other characters are given short shrift.
But there's no denying that "Hotel Rwanda" does have its share of powerful moments; in particular, a scene in which Paul and another hotel employee unknowingly due to fog drive into a mass grave.
Cheadle brings a needed intensity to the film; his character's fear and compassion are quite vivid. Nolte is also good in his limited screen time, as is Joaquin Phoenix, who plays a news cameraman.
"Hotel Rwanda" is rated PG-13 for strong scenes of violence (including shootings and explosive mayhem, some of it overheard), occasional use of strong profanity and racial epithets, and some brief gore and disturbing images. Running time: 121 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com
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Cast: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte
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