January 19, 2005 -- “Hotel Rwanda” is a chilling story of madness and heroism based on the true story of Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of the European-owned Milles Collines Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda. Through courage and ingenuity (and without using a gun), he turned the hotel into a place of refuge for over 1,000 refugees in 1994 who would have been slaughtered if not for this sanctuary. Outside the grounds of the hotel Tutsi people were being killed by the hundreds of thousands by Hutu soldiers conducting a genocide.

Outside of a handful of U.N. troops, the rest of the world ignored the genocide going on in Rwanda, just as the world continues to ignore much of the death and suffering in Africa. You would think the genocide in Rwanda was due to longstanding tribal disputes between the Hutus and the Tutsis, but, in fact, those tribal distinctions are very recent in the history of Rwanda. Those tribal difference were created by, and imposed by Europeans. The killings were motivated by resentment of the political power wielded over the Hutus by the Tutsis.

When the killings began, Paul Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle of “Traffic”) could not believe it was happening. Paul, a Hutu, was married to a Tutsi. He had never been interested in politics, but could not believe that such evil could prevail. But when he saw troops murdering his Tutsi neighbors, he knew he had to protect his family. He got them into the hotel, using his influence with generals, government and U.N. officials to keep the murdering militia men away from the hotel. As the situation deteriorated, more and more Tutsi refugees swarmed into the hotel. Paul was used to bribing and flattering officials in order to run his hotel. He used bribery, blackmail, and any other tactic he could think of to keep the murdering militia squads out of the hotel. The hotel was running out of water, food and money. The situation was desperate. Paul had to figure out how to keep over 1,000 refugees alive with virtually no resources until they could be rescued.

This is the story of a very unlikely hero who rose to the occasion, using his intelligence and courage to keep the forces of madness at bay. It is a story of a small island of morality and decency in a sea of pure evil. It is a tale of heroism of a few people against a massive tide of hellish chaos. This story proves once again that one person can make a difference. It also shows how an uncaring world was shamed into action. Now, if we could just get some action on the AIDS crisis and the malaria deaths in Africa, which is a far greater tragedy than the one depicted in this film.

The movie is told in a matter-of-fact way by writer-director Terry George, like a documentary. In fact, there is no need to overly dramatize such inherently dramatic events. The acting is simply superb. Cheadle, an underrated actor, has never been better. He carries the film easily. He is utterly convincing as a smart, take charge leader who becomes a hero out of desperation. Sophie Okonedo gives an exceptional performance as Tatiana, Paul's wife. Veteran actor Nick Nolte (“The Hulk”) gives a compelling performance as U.N. Colonel Oliver, who is helpless to stop the slaughter around him. This film rates a B+.

For more information on this film, including flim, story, an unlikely hero, biographies, inspiration, facts, get involved, click on this link to the official home page of Hotel Rwanda.

Copyright © 2005 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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