Flawed narrative but compelling from start to finish, with an array of well-written characters! [+66%]

Rating: 7/10 (15 June 2019)

What makes 'Hotel Mumbai' an engaging watch is the way (debut) director Anthony Maras has treated the rather sensitive subject - a real-life act of terrorism that sent shockwaves across the city of Mumbai a little over a decade ago. 'Hotel Mumbai' borrows inspiration from the documentary 'Surviving Mumbai' in its retelling of the ghastly terrorist attack that took place at various points in the city, most importantly, the Taj Hotel.
Director (& co-writer) Maras and screenwriter John Collee have chosen a docu-drama style of storytelling for 'Hotel Mumbai'. It presents a host of characters that are either working at the hotel (Anupam Kher as Headchef Oberoi and Dev Patel as Arjun, a bearer), guests who have arrived at the hotel (Nazanin Boniadi and Armie Hammer as Zahra and David, respectively, in addition to Jason Isaacs' unlikable-at-first Vasili!), and some who take refuge at the hotel after the city is taken under siege by terrorists. The screenplay spends just about enough time to shed light on key characters before placing focus on the horrific events. It also bothers that the killings shown in the film are quite in-your-face (the exploitative nature of the theme is questionable) and every bullet fired from a terrorist's gun pierces through your cores.
The main characters are reasonably nuanced (and humanized) at all times which make the proceedings compelling. In an unlikely situation of a terror attack where everyone, regardless of whichever societal strata one belongs to, can become a victim, the film builds this palpable tension in an effective manner. Also, there's a baby on the scene whose silence plays a key role while in-hiding and the probability of the toddler reuniting with his family keeps viewers constantly on their toes.
That said, there are certain things that the film (purposefully) retains as cliches. For instance, families getting separated during the most unruly circumstances, religious/racial profiling creating rifts between surviving characters, egos at play between individuals, and many other plot devices appear rehashed from other thrillers. Editing work by the director himself and Peter McNulty ensure a crisp 2-hour run-time while the cinematography by Nick Remy Matthews lends the film a claustrophobic feel as the frames shuttle between hotel rooms, corridors, lifts, and emergency staircases for a good part.
The film, however, makes a subtle mistake of not disclosing more details on the terrorists (the characters do engage in banter between themselves in addition to being supervised by 'Brother Bull' over the phone) even as footnotes during the end credits. Therefore, aside from the solid performances put in by Patel and Kher, it would feel less factual for an Indian viewer and more thrilling for other viewers. The director's intention here is to put viewers in the shoes of a victim or a survivor and feel affected by the goings-on. The film, without a doubt, delivers on that aspect. Having shot (partially) in real locations also helps to a great extent.