Interesting subject, but laid on way too thick

Rating: 7/10 (20 September 2011)

A fascinating story, and a subject that I'm pleased to have learned slightly more (ie. something) about: the Rwandan civil war and genocide of the mid-nineties, and how it was played down and ignored by the West.
The central performance by Don Cheadle is strong and his character likable and understandable. However, most of the characters were barely developed at all. An awful lot of story is crammed in, and most of it is only lightly brushed over - I think it would have worked better if some elements were left out and the remaining ones covered in more depth. Worse, the tone of the film started very well, but became increasingly syrupy as it went on. However, the story-telling is very efficient, especially at the beginning; it wasn't difficult to follow a fairly complex plot and it maintained my interest all the way through.
Well worth a watch, but I won't be buying it.