Beyond the Gates poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

John Hurt, Hugh Dancy, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Dominique Horwitz, Louis Mahoney ... see more see more... , Nicola Walker , Steve Toussaint , David Gyasi , Susan Nalwoga , Victor Power , Jack Pierce , Musa Kasonka Jr. , Kizito Ssentamu Kayiira , Denis Nsanzamahoro , Francine Naomi Umutoni , Alexander Ikuzo , Charles Kayondo , Abdul Sebagangali , Molly Rutagarama , Arthur Nkusi , Eugene Rugwiza , Raymond Kalisa , Rose-Mary Uwimana , Venuste Karasira , Jean De La Croix , Ndabananiye Samuel Kyaganbidwa , Joseph Saad , Jean Kennedy Mazimpaka , Jean Paul Nkundabanyanga , Alain Nizet

Two outsiders witness an onslaught of bloody Rwandan genocide in this fact-based drama from director Michael Caton-Jones (Scandal). In 1994, Joe Connor (Hugh Dancy) is a British schoolteacher who has ... read more read more...volunteered to spend a year at the École Technique Officielle, a school in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. Connor's arrival in Rwanda occurs after the nation's Civil War between the Tutsis and the Hutus has dissipated (c. August 1993). Yet despite the official end of this well-publicized struggle, political negotiations between the two groups have reached a stalemate, and the Hutus begin systematic preparation for a mass-genocide of the Tutsi people (who have assumed political power via the establishment of the RPF). Connor has already seen signs of the coming conflict in the abuse meted out to Marie (Claire-Hope Ashitey), a Tutsi student who was one of his star pupils, as well as the bitter hatred expressed by François (David Gyasi), a Hutu janitor at the school. As the genocide erupts, with extreme Hutu factions slaughtering Tutsis by the thousands, the École Technique becomes a base of operations for Belgian peacekeeping forces from the United Nations. Most extended visitors from the West (especially America and Europe) flee Rwanda as the fighting breaks out, but Connor decides to stay, and in fact strikes up a friendship with Father Christopher (John Hurt), a Catholic priest who has come to the nation as a missionary. As Father Christopher serves mass and strives to offer solace to the Tutsis and moderate Hutus caught in the fighting, he and Connor use the school as a safe haven for Tutsi refugees; however, after five days of genocidal killing, the U.N. troops move out, leaving little hope for the people they were supposed to protect. Beyond the Gates was produced by David Belton, who helped write the film's story; Belton was a correspondent with the BBC who was assigned to Rwanda when the fighting broke out. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

81% liked it

17,045 ratings

Critics

84% liked it

62 critics

R, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Michael Caton-Jones

Release Date: December 8, 2005

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: September 18, 2007

Get It:

Stats: 785 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Hugh Dancy in Shooting Dogs Hugh Dancy in BEYOND THE GATES Hugh Dancy in BEYOND THE GATES Scene from BEYOND THE GATES Hugh Dancy and John Hurt in BEYOND THE GATES Scene from BEYOND THE GATES Hugh Dancy and John Hurt in BEYOND THE GATES John Hurt in BEYOND THE GATES John Hurt in BEYOND THE GATES Clare-Hope Ashitey in BEYOND THE GATES On the set of BEYOND THE GATES Beyond the Gates Beyond the Gates Beyond the Gates Beyond the Gates
Upload a Photo | View All Beyond the Gates Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (785)

  • DouglasWCollins
    July 4, 2009
    DouglasWCollins
    This is one incredible and sad movie. Powerful. The question is what would you have done in the same situation and really could you have done anything. Would give it 5 stars but I just could not sit and watch what they did to these people again.
  • ironclad1609
    May 14, 2008
    ironclad1609
    Thematically similar to Hotel Rwanda this movie about the genocide of 1994 presents an equally hopeless situation as the angry mob gathers outside a school, (only temporarily) protected by UN soldiers, who refuse to do anything more than their mandate tells them. As the situation... read more gets more and more dire, like a noose closing around someone's neck, John Hurt and Hugh Dancy have their moments to shine, just like the whole cast is really convincing. While some Christian analogies are maybe a little over the top, the movie is still extremely thrilling, frustrating and sad. Showing pictures of the crew members who lost someone in the genocide before the end credits basically makes it impossible not to be touched by this really powerful and important film, that would have deserved as much attention as Hotel Rwanda.
  • gator681
    May 6, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]It would be the easiest thing in the world to simply write off "Beyond the Gates" as another tearjerker but it has got more things on its mind than that.(A very unsentimental ending does raise it to another level.) In telling the story about two white Englis... read morehmen, Christopher(John Hurt, who is fantastic), a priest who intially believes the situation in Rwanda in 1994 to be no more serious than a coup, and Joe(Hugh Dancy), a neophyte teacher, who give sanctuary to thousands of Tutsi's during the resulting genocide, the movie covers a lot of the same ground that "Hotel Rwanda" and the documentary "Shake Hands with the Devil" have already covered, especially in the impossible situation that the United Nations troops were placed in, under orders not to fire their weapons. But the movie turns a mirror onto its own Eurocentrism. Joe gets Rachel(Nicola Walker), a reporter, to cover their situation by mentioning the Europeans there and later that same reporter confesses her own racism in covering similar atrocities in the Balkans. [/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]All of which brings to mind the non-action that has been happening towards Darfur the last couple of years. Just as there is no difference between Hutu and Tutsi, there is no difference between black and white. We are all one people on this planet and must come to the aid of those in desperate straits no matter where they are.[/font]
  • ileo
    July 19, 2008
    ileo
    OUTSTANDING MOVIE!! Here's an amazing movie that depicts upon human tragedy that occurred in 1994 Rwanda. Highly touching story plot. Amazing performances by Hugh Dancy and John Hurt. Definitely a must-see.
  • iamthethinman
    March 15, 2010
    iamthethinman
    The movie in inevitably be compared to Hotel Rwanda when they really stand on their own. This movie is just as important to watch and understand as Hotel Rwanda. This is a harrowing tale of the ignorant mob mentality taken to its extreme, and worst of all, true.

    What this movie... read more has over Hotel Rwanda is a grittier feel for realistic environments and settings. I know this was actually filmed in Rwanda, but beyond that it doesn?t look like it was set dressed. And the people look like regular people. Hotel Rwanda still had a sheen to it. What it doesn?t have is the strong central performance and the easy-to-relate to central theme. Hotel Rwanda was a man trying to save his family above all. Just about everyone has family. This central story was a little less involved, but still decent enough.

    This is a good movie and good production that still deserves a view.
  • vlmluvsband
    June 23, 2008
    vlmluvsband
    I loved this movie! especially since I've decided to be come a full time missionary. this was the movie I was going to watch with friends on our 2008 prom night,because I hadn't told most of them about me wanting to be a missionary,and I knew that at east some of them would be wo... read morerried about me & my decision. I wanted to see some thing that showed some of the possible hardships I may face in some of the regions of the world that I might go to, but that I'm not worried about them and that they shouldn't either, because God will take care of me and the other people that are with me whether or not we continue to live in this Life, or die and go on to the next. My name is Victoria M. I enjoyed this movie.
  • wang90
    March 2, 2008
    wang90
    this film could've been better if they had re-cast some of the actors, changed the script. i think the dialogues are dull and cliche. i can't feel the tense of the situation. many are a lot better in portraying the situation in rwanda than this film
  • ThexBoredxHoosier
    January 7, 2008
    ThexBoredxHoosier
    The major problem with this movie is that it moves very slowly. I realize that it kind of makes the movie more realistic, in that it shows the agonizing wait the people felt, the long hours of fear. Still, it doesn't make for a very watchable movie when it goes slow and drags out... read more everything. I did feel that the performaces were very well done, and the story is definitely touching.
  • piscesweb25
    January 13, 2007
    piscesweb25
    Wow. Amazing movie. Definitely worth watching. Everyone should see this and be aware of what happened and continues to happen all over the world!

View All Beyond the Gates Reviews

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones
January 4, 2008
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

This is a spiritual drama, not a political one, drawing a thick line between our good intentions and the selfish choices we ultimately make. Full Review

Stephen Holden
August 11, 2007
Stephen Holden, New York Times

Though less reassuring and not as dramatically coherent as Hotel Rwanda, it still packs a hard punch.

Wesley Morris
March 31, 2007
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Movies about Africa often fall into this trap. Righteous indignation is the exclusive province of non-Africans. Full Review

Michael Phillips
March 29, 2007
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

A gripping fictionalized account of a 1994 incident in Rwanda that became a shocking emblem of the Rwandan Hutus' mass slaughter of the Tutsis. Full Review

Ruthe Stein
March 23, 2007
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

By keeping most of the action contained to the school grounds and immediate environs, director Michael Caton-Jones creates a claustrophobic atmosphere where fear can fester. Full Review

Kevin Crust
March 15, 2007
Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times

Tense and gut-wrenching, Beyond the Gates is a horrifying story told with grace and compassion. Full Review

Desson Thomson
March 15, 2007
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

If its scenes of tribal violence feel overly familiar to viewers of 2004's Hotel Rwanda, its account of desperate choices made in the throes of terror remains emotionally powerful viewing. Full Review

Peter Rainer
March 15, 2007
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

The 1994 Rwandan genocide is once again the subject of a movie. Even more so than its forerunner Hotel Rwanda, Beyond the Gates is unsparing in its depiction of that terrible time. Full Review

Richard Roeper
March 12, 2007
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

Director Michael Caton-Jones does a great job and John Hurt just absolutely carries the day as the moral center of the story.

Kyle Smith
March 9, 2007
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Convincingly revisits the horror of 1994's civil war in Rwanda. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Machine Gun Preacher
    Machine Gun Preacher (100%)
  • Hotel Rwanda
    Hotel Rwanda (84%)
  • Cry Freedom
    Cry Freedom (75%)
  • Shake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire
    Shake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Ro... (100%)

More Movies like Beyond the Gates

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Beyond the Gates : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Beyond the Gates. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Beyond the Gates to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?