Hotel Mumbai

Rating: 5/10 (30 September 2019)

I knew someone who survived the attacks that took place in Mumbai in 2008. I reckon they would be thinking who this film is aimed at.
The director of Hotel Mumbai talks about all the hours of research they did. He then inserts fictionalised characters into this exploitative drama.
You have disparate multinational characters assembled like it was a disaster film such as The Poseidon Adventure. There is a lecherous and arrogant Russian businessman who is arranging escorts to be delivered to his hotel suite. A newly married couple who have had a baby. For dramatic purposes we have a scene where the baby is in danger.
Instead of the ship hitting a tidal wave, Muslim terrorists cause carnage by indiscriminately shooting at guests and staff at the Taj Hotel.
The focus is on waiter Arjun (Dev Patel) with his ill fitting shoes and head chef Hemant Oberoi (Anupam Kher playing the real life chef of the hotel) who try to lead some of the hotel guests to safety.
The film consists of people being blown away. You keep having to remind yourself that 174 people died and someone has made a spectacle of it which includes news clips and mobile phone footage of the real events.
It might have been better if the film took a critical stance at the events that took place over three days. The failure of Indian intelligence agencies and the slow response of the counter terrorism forces who were stationed in Delhi. Also what were the motivations of the terrorist and the planning that took place for these attacks. The young men we see look like they are poor, uneducated and have been brainwashed.
However I cannot get over that this is an uneasy film to watch. Even one of the film's posters is in bad taste showing a machine gun with the dome of the Taj Hotel imposed on it.