Hotel Rwanda (DVD)

What a fantastic array of talented actors with Don Cheadle in the role of hotel manager winning Best Actor hands down.

Set in 1994 in Rwanda it is the TRUE and remarkable story of one man's struggle to maintain a calm and dignified oasis as the Manager of a very up market Belgian Hotel in the midst of one of the most brutal acts of genocide that had largly gone un-noticed by the rest of the world, as the Tutsi and the Hutu tribes fight it out.

In three months alone one million people were brutally wiped out and over one thousand displaced men woman and children eventualy took shelter as refugees in this hotel. If you were a white guest then America and England came to the rescue but if you were black and from somewhere else then you had a lot of phoning around for help to get you home no matter how high up the ladder you were!

and at any moment what was stamped on your passport... could get you murdered.


Where the director got so many fantastic convincing extras from is a mystery, each one an Academy Award Winner in their own right.

Echo's of the brutality heaped upon the Jews by the Germans in the second world war.

This film was one of the most touching and heart-wrenching films i have ever seen in my whole life.
I was 14 when the genocide happened and was sheltered by my family from the news on what was happening so having now seeing what really went on it made me cry all the way through.
A must have for everyone.
Another very good film about the genocide is a film called: Sometimes In April which follows down the same path but tells the story of a Hutu Army officer married to a Tootsie woman and how he tries to get her to safety - again based on a true story.

I knew so little about the genocide which took place in Rwanda and was informed that this was a must see film to educate yourself about the awful things that happened there. Let us all hope and pray that this does not happen again

What a film! Don Cheadle is fantastic, as are the rest of the cast, there is not a fault to be found with any of them. This film will lead you to question why we (the countries of the Western World) stood back and simply allowed this atrocity to happen (as we continue to do in other areas) without even thinking of getting involved. This point is made more poignant because of the recent activities of our governments and the point hinted at but not actually voiced by Paul Rusesabagina in the DVD extra feature Making of Hotel Rwanda where he says that Rwanda as a country has nothing to offer - the implication is clear that had Rwanda had oil or another source of income deemed to be worthy of western intervention the story may have been a different one altogether. Another point made is the fact that the atrocities in Rwanda and in many other African countries and other countries around the world (to this day) were not (and are not) reported adequately in the world news.

The film is gripping from start to finish but is difficult to watch because of the harrowing nature of it and the knowledge that it is essentially a true story (although obviously some details have been omitted and added in the name of artistic license). I could not bear to watch the film a second time but that should not take anything away from the power of it, indeed it adds to it. I think this is a film that everyone should watch at least once. It also serves as a reminder to all of us that unfortunately genocide has been around for a long time and while our governments continue to say that it is an event that should never be repeated (following World War II) it has been repeated, indeed it still is.

Some of the most harrowing scenes to my view are when you see a road littered with bodies, and the implication is there that these bodies have not just been murdered where they lie but that they may well have been placed on the road to add insult to injury in forcing motorists to drive over them in order to continue their journeys. Also when all of the "whites" are evacuated from Rwanda by the UN none of the Rwandans are evacuated at all or even offered any protection, this includes orphaned children who are left behind to be slaughtered along with the rest of the Tutsi tribe. The comments at the end of the film tell us that the war in Rwanda only ended when the Tutsi's were driven out to the neighboring Congo, not exactly an end to the war then, just a delay.

We must learn from this.

What a film, a film of magnificent potential and it does not fail to disappoint.
A magnificent display of acting by Don Cheadle, backed up by many supporting actors/actresses.

There is the good old emotional pulling of the heartstrings, and the ending is superb!

A harrowing storyline keeps you into what is happening and the film altogether is one you must see / buy.

I guarantee you will not regret it!

5***** - 100%

film is awesome, if you like true stories i would highly reccomend, regardless of the politics it is amazing to see what this guy does to fight for freedom and save his family from death. He uses skills of blagin' his way through a very difficult time and losing people very close to him.

highly recommended to watch just a bit slow to start with but after a while u will be hooked.

After visiting Rwanda it was a very good illustration/reminder of what actually happened during the last genocide.

At times traumatic but its 'a must' see. It reminds you just how easy it is for us to turn a blind eye to all the ethnic violence that is ongoing in the world today.

Good quality, fast delivery good seller. would buy off again with confidence. Price was reasonable. Fab

great film,moving,a good sunay sit down after dinner film
having been to africa several times on buisness i wanted to understand the country a bit more better.

Overall a great film for all to understand and realise the happening elsewhere in the world

Heard about what had happened in rwanda and interested in the story of the man who after years of pampering to important people in his country to build a good future for himself sacrificed this future and helped save many rwandans from certain death

I had never heard of this film and I didn't realise it was based on a true story. A friend was talking about different films she had watched and mentioned Hotel Rwanda was very moving. When I first started watching the film it was gripping from the begining to the end. I really felt for the people of Rwanda and what they went through. It opened my eyes to what they had to go through. Then a hotel manager helps over a thousand refugees by giving them shelter in the hotel he manages.

I like the presentation of the genocide in Rwanda in this film. The actors are today living the true story about Rwanda's Genocide. All I can say is this Hotel Rwanda is interesting and then am inviting people to buy it. Therefore, I do not dislike anything. That's a great film.

There are so many movies that follow similar themes however usually with hollywood fantasy attached aswell. It was great to watch this film as there are no epic gun battles or huge explosions just a good solid story line. Absolute must have for any film buff or just anyone who enjoys a brilliant movie!!!

Rating 5/5 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

i bought the dvd for my daughter. she seen some of it, when it was on the television. the only place that was cheap enough to buy was ebay. it is a really good film.