182: Hotel Rwanda

Hotel Rwanda (PG-13) - 2004 - Runtime: 121 minutes
Starring: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte
Director: Terry George

This movie had been sitting in my Blockbuster queue for quite some time and it finally arrived (after watching a great TV show called Skins). This movie became of one of those movies. You know, where someone recommends it and you think about watching it but never get around to it. And then another person recommends it and another until you're so sick of hearing about how great this movie is that you've decided that you don't want to see it anymore. That's Hotel Rwanda for me. But I put in my queue because I've heard nothing but great things and I almost feel obligated to watch it simply because it might enlighten me on things I would otherwise be oblivious to.

The movie, if you don't already know, tells the tale of one man who decides to open up his hotel doors to refugees from one of the worst genocides in the past 20 years. It's a very moving story and full of suspense and lots of conflict. Don Cheadle was nominated for an Academy Award and so was Sophie Okoneda, who plays his wife. These were great performances by both.

It's a good movie and is perfect for understanding more about Africa and some of the problems happening over there. I learned a lot about what happened and how (which is too detailed for a review) and that some of the same things are happening right now in Darfur. This was an ethnic civil war that took place and a genocide of most likely a million people. And the western world pretty much ignored the events that took place (in 1998, Clinton offered a semi-apology to Rwanda for this fact).

I don't think I would watch the movie again simply because it's long and a downer. That sounds selfish, but I do believe this movie is important to watch because of it's powerful message. I imagine this movie might make it into high school classes someday.

Rating: Rent It!