My dad defined this film as a black version of “Schindler’s List” but I think that description, while paying a certain amount of respect, also undervalues what this film is really about. Set during the Rwandan massacres of little more than 10 years ago, it follows how one man sheltered and saved over one thousand people from the rampaging Hutu rebels. Don Cheadle plays the central character of Paul Rusesabagina, who is the hotel manager at an up market hotel in Kigali. During the course of the film he becomes a hero to those around him and goes through some horrendous terrors while trying to protect those around him. There’s some excellent acting on show and Cheadle was deservedly nominated for an Oscar. Top film.
Tony’s Rating: 8/10.
Synopsis: Ten years ago some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda–and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.