Hotel Rwanda

Following Crash and the terrific impression left on me by Don Cheadle, thought it was about time to check out his Oscar nominated performance in "true story" Hotel Rwanda. Genocide has to be one of the ugliest words and ideas in existence, and as with all works of art that have dealt with the holocaust it is incredibly important that events are recorded accurately and that the world is urged to learn from its history. There was no doubt that this movie, being based on the real events of 1994 in Rwanda, was going to be unbearably sad - but would it be any good? Well, not really, unfortunately. Writer and director of Some Mother's Son, Terry George delivers an episodic script, that also jars in its editing, making it very staccato in mood and difficult to connect with - he seems to have made, not necessarily bad choices, just unimaginative ones. In an attempt to capture all the events we lose something of the drama inherent. Neither over-sentimental nor melodramatic, nevertheless, the absence of filmic savvy makes each subsequent scene blend into mediocrity and tempts the audience not to care, despite the subject. Compare it to something like The Killing Fields and you will see what I mean. Mr Cheadle does hold it together, however, with a fine portrayal of the hotel manager torn between his roles as husband and father and his responsibility as leader of the last refuge on earth for the "cockroaches" targeted for extermination by the Hutus. The thought that occurs, which is highlighted well, is how this could have been allowed to happen and allowed to continue for so long by the rest of the world! Just a shame that apart from DC many roles are miscast, including UN General Nick Nolte, who seems out of place in every scene, and Belgian hotel entrepreneur Jean Reno, who looks equally uncomfortable. Worthy of a mention, though, is Joaquin Phoenix as an American journalist: he was as different and as watchable as ever in a small, but important role - but he was gone after half an hour and much missed. A bit of a let down in all and deserving only of an average 6/10, I'm afraid. Kx