When European explorers discovered Rwanda they split the people into two groups, even measuring the length of their noses to decide who would be whom. The two groups the Hutu’s and the Tutsi’s never really got along as the Tutsi’s who were in power took it out on the Hutu’s. But when the Dutch pulled out of Rwanda they left the Hutu’s in power and after years of oppression many Hutu’s take it to punish and even exterminate the Tutsi’s. 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, almost 1 million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man Paul Rusesabagina summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.

Few movies manage to capture such emotions like courage, love and the unselfish acts of great men who do so much good amongst such atrocities. Hotel Rwanda captures all these emotions with ease that it makes you feel for all the characters and their stories and takes you on an emotional roller coaster. If the movie was not based on the truth and the real life events of a true hero Paul Rusesabagina you would almost find it hard to believe that it really happened. The movies does a spectacular job of not only showing the amazing sacrifices Paul committed but also of the indifference most of the world showed towards a country torn by genocide and rivaling factions. The crimes committed by the Hutu while terrible, the indifference the United Nations showed was just as terrible at times, you could not but help feel for al Rwandans as well as Paul and the ones he risked to save.

Don Cheadle does an absolutely amazing job that was well worth the Oscar nomination he received for the part. He absolutely captures you with his portrayal of a man caught between a rock and a hard place who does his best to save himself, his family and countless others. If you are not moved by this movie, you must be dead inside, but the sad thing is the movie is right most people would probably hear of the horrors going and continue to eat their dinners without any thought on how to help or stop them. The movie is a powerful, emotion driven movie that will send you on a ride of heroism, sacrifice and mostly courage as one-man changes as much as he can and saves lives of those he does not even know. See it if you get a chance, you will not be sorry.
4 stars out of 5