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Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Nick Nolte, Jean Reno ... see more see more... , Leleti Khumalo , Mothusi Magano , Desmond Dube , Djimon Hounsou , Cara Seymour , David O'Hara , Fana Mokoena , Hakeem Kae-Kazim , Mathabo Pieterson , Mosa Kaiser , Ofentse Modiselle , Tony Kgoroge

Hotel Rwanda tackles one of the most horrifically ugly events in recent history, when the Hutu extremists of Rwanda initiated a terrifying campaign of genocide, massacring hundreds of thousands of min... read more read more...ority Tutsis (who had been given power by the departed Belgian colonists), while the rest of the world looked on and did nothing. Don Cheadle stars as Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager at the fancy Les Milles Collines hotel in Kigali. Paul is a Hutu, and a very successful businessman who smoothly greases the wheels, making powerful connections in all strata of Rwandan life. His wife, Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo of Aeon Flux), is a Tutsi. She urges Paul to use his influence to help local Tutsis, who are being harassed and beaten with increasing frequency, but Paul will only use the political capital he's built up to help his own family, if and when they need it. Soon enough, the violence escalates, and the Hutus begin their genocide of the Tutsis. European guests and staff at the hotel are flown out of the country, and Paul is left in charge. He finds that his conscience won't allow him to watch as the innocent are slaughtered, and before long, the hotel has become a well-appointed refugee camp. Paul is seen as a traitor by some, putting his life in danger, and the predicament of his "guests" grows more precarious every day, but despite good intentions on the part of a journalist (Joaquin Phoenix) and a UN peacekeeping colonel (Nick Nolte), the rest of the world is not eager to intervene and stop the massacre. Hotel Rwanda was directed by Irish filmmaker Terry George (Some Mother's Son), who co-wrote the script with Keir Pearson. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Flixster Users

94% liked it

213,944 ratings

Critics

90% liked it

188 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: Terry George

Release Date: December 22, 2004

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DVD Release Date: April 12, 2005

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Stats: 15,107 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (15,107)

  • moonrivers
    May 11, 2012
    moonrivers
    The backstory here is genocide ... one hell of a place to start and an lmmersion into reality usually reserved for documentarys with grainy, out-of-focus footage. But the mainstory here, in glorious cinematic values, is a true action tale about one man's determination only for d... read moreecency, humanity, when the world around him contradicts. Kudos to writer/director Terry George for revealing a side of humanity nobody likes, yet exists nonetheless, and to Don Cheadle's steady portrayal of an everyman in extraordinary times.
  • sergioogarcia
    August 9, 2011
    sergioogarcia
    I have no words. Another movie based on a true story. The story worths the ticket and I never expect the great Cheadle's performance. This is what makes the movie so good. Honestly I didn't liked the directing. So flat, almost like a TV drama. I truely will never understand human... read more race in situations like the one described in Rwanda. That's the paradox. An amazing human story about inhuman acts.
  • fb100001048934982
    April 20, 2011
    fb100001048934982
    Heartbreaking and emotional movie, with a great performance from Cheadle. One of his best, in fact.
  • fb733768972
    February 16, 2011
    fb733768972
    Don Cheadle plays Paul Rusesabagina, the Milles Collines hotel manager, and he plays his heart out. With an amazing performance and a brilliant cast following him, this film shows what many true stories don't, heart. In the 90's when the Tutsi's and Hutu's are against one another... read more, the Hutu's destroy their own reputation to gain more. With amazing dialogue, brilliant cinematography, a gorgeous outlook on life, and a plot that will have you in tears, Hotel Rwanda is a masterful ride!
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    October 28, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Hotel Rwanda is the riveting true story of Paul Rusesesbagina. A Hutu who managed the Mille Collins hotel in Kigali, Rwanda. Russesbagina sheltered both tribes, Tutsis and Hutus. This film explores the humane side to one of the darkest periods of the 1990's. Hotel Rwanda is a s... read moreuperbly acted film, the cast here are absolutely wonderful. I am a big fan of Don Cheadle's work but I have to say that in Hotel Rwanda, he really shines and gives possibly the best performance of his career. Hotel Rwanda is a hard film to watch due to it's subject matter and it is poignant, hopeful and by the end uplifting. This film, much like Schindler's List shows that some men are able to do the right thing. This film can be easily compared to Schindler's List, because both films are very similar. However, if you'd ask me which films are better, I'd tell you that they're equal. Both films succeed in showing the good in people when all else around them is chaos. Except for a few minor flaws, this film does a great job at portraying the atrocities. The biggest flaw of the film is really Nick Nolte's character, Colonel Oliver. Oliver never existed and the character was based on General Romeo Dallaire. I personally think they shouldn't have changed the name of Dallaire, aside from that, the film is a superb piece of filmmaking and is one of the best films about these atrocities. A film like this is important so that it puts light on such subjects that this type of senseless killing happens in other countries. Hopefully Hotel Rwanda will make people realize that this is happening, and we need to do something about it. Hotel Rwanda is a very important film, and the superb cast and direction tells this story with tremendous respect, a hard but necessary film to watch. This is a terrific film and just the fact that the events in the film really happened should stimulate your interest into watching this film. Hotel Rwanda is the best film of it's kind since Schindler's List. You cannot afford to miss this film, an important film that should be seen.
  • fb619846742
    November 13, 2009
    fb619846742
    An overrated, although still arresting story concerning the genocide that took place in Rwanda during the early 90's. Cheadle is in top form here, as a family man who is desperate to get his family out of the Hell that has grasped hold of their country. It doesn't pack the overwh... read moreelming emotional punch most critics raved about, but overall, still a good, solid narrative about some incredibly terrible times in a confused country.
  • jlewis07
    November 13, 2009
    jlewis07
    It didn't quite live up to my expectations after seeing the critical raves it got from everyone, but it was still pretty good. Good performances from the cast and it enlightened me to a conflict I had no knowledge about.
  • SirPant
    September 18, 2009
    SirPant
    Don Cheadle's performance is brilliant in this true story set during the atrocities in Rwanda.
  • kpn666
    August 30, 2009
    kpn666
    An excellent film, can't believe I didnt watch it sooner!

    Don Cheadle's finest work and probably one of the best dramas around, nothing quite hits you in the heart than a movie about struggle and survivial in the world's most dangerous and hopless continent... Africa. And it pre... read moretty much made things clear that the world cannot stand by too long while people are being massacared... and in the end, one million people were killed in Rwanda.

    Enter Paul Rusesabagina (Cheadle) , a Hutu, who is the manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda. When the Hutu President is killed after Tutsi rebels broke and agreement, the extremist Hutu army and milita ordered the death of all Tutsi rebels and their conspirators, leading to the death of millions. Paul's wife, being a Tutsi, is found by a small group of refugees and he manages to hide them inside his hotel which i guarded by UN peacekeepers. But the handful soon turn into hundreds, as the extremists begin to "cleanse" the land of the cockroaches, and the UN powerless to help, the Western World seeing no gain from sending any reinforcements. With the foriengers and UN gone, Paul uses bribes to keep the militia at bay while his employer Mr Tillens (Jean Reno) and General Oliver (Gary Busey) try to convince the superiors and nations to assist the Rwandans....and in the midst of all this, Paul is left to manage his four star hotel and its workers, care for his scared family and protect the hundreds of refugees under his care, risking his wealth and his life to save as many as he can.

    A really great piece of filmmaking, the drama never stops as Paul and the world surrounding him plunges into deeper levels of despair after the other, and at times hope is almost lost, and time has run out

    An excellent film.... Go watch it yourself, nothing more to be said here.
  • imrealgod
    May 17, 2009
    imrealgod
    Truly heart-wrenching and awe-inspiring.

View All Hotel Rwanda Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
January 14, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Move past the big picture, of race hatred, arbitrary maps and guilt over what the UN and the West can't or won't do, and find the human story within the inhumanity of war. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
January 7, 2005
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

The great strength of Hotel Rwanda is that it's not about superhuman heroism but simply about human decency. Full Review

Peter Howell
January 7, 2005
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

The almost forgotten but all too real African genocide documented in Hotel Rwanda hits us as suddenly and as hard as it does Paul Rusesabagina, the accidental hero played so masterfully by Don Cheadle. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
January 7, 2005
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

What makes the film not just harrowing but transcendent is Cheadle. He does nothing traditionally heroic. He just presents a picture of basic decency, showing how, when combined with courage, decency ... Full Review

Kenneth Turan
January 7, 2005
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

A film that uses the comfort of the predictable to make horror palatable to a wider audience. Full Review

Eric Harrison
January 7, 2005
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

Because of the subject matter, this feels like one of those films you see because it's good for you. But it also is an extraordinarily moving drama. Full Review

Liam Lacey
January 7, 2005
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

There is much to respect in Hotel Rwanda, not least Cheadle's subtly crafted performance, which allows the audience a direct connection to his ethical growth. Full Review

Terry Lawson
January 7, 2005
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

If Hotel Rwanda does nothing more than provoke the obvious questions of 'How did this happen?' and 'How can we prevent it from happening again?' it has, like the hotelier who refuses to consider himse... Full Review

Tom Long
January 7, 2005
Tom Long, Detroit News

The film serves as reminder and educator for those who've forgotten or never knew about the situation in Rwanda.

Robert Denerstein
January 7, 2005
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

A story so powerful it can't help but speak to both the heart and the conscience.

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Hotel Rwanda Trivia

  • What is the signal given by a radio in Hotel Rwanda that begins the slaughter?  Answer »
  • this oscar nominated movie is about a hotel manager who saved hundreds from a slaughter and stars don cheadle  Answer »
  • He was called 'The African Schindler', the hotel manager saved hundrews from the Rwandan Slaughter. Name the film.  Answer »
  • Which actor has starred in all of the following:- - Boogie Nights - Out of Sight - Traffic - Hotel Rwanda - Crash  Answer »
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