Good, but could have been better

Rating: 6/10 (27 May 2005)

Hotel Rwanda does a good job of glorifying the good in an African hotelier under terrible circumstances - kind of a black man's version of Schindler's List. It's all very believable, but I was left wanting to know a bit more about the background hatred of the Hutus and Tutsis. All that slaughter deserves a bit more than just calling the opposing tribes "cockroaches." At first, I thought of Cheadle as miscast for the role - too stoic and businesslike to be a savior, but he did grow on me a bit as the film ran on. By the end, I actually believed him. (Unlike Nick Nolte, who was miscast for his role. Oh admit it, he's miscast for every role he's ever had -- he just can't act.) I'm giving this one a 6: you probably won't regret renting it, but you won't want to see it a second time.