Probably the most important movie of 2004

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2005)

Hotel Rwanda (2004) Directed by Terry George, is the great film of 2004.
Don Cheadle plays Paul Rusesabagina, an African who has bought into the European ideal of the perfect life. He's the manager of a four-star hotel in Rwanda. He has a beautiful wife (played by Sophie Okonedo), handsome and healthy young children, a new vehicle, and a fine suburban home.
All this changes when civil strife erupts in Rwanda. When this happens the former colonial powers wash their hands of the problems, and the Rwandans are left to fend for themselves in an atmosphere of increasing violence and anarchy.
The acting is excellent and the story is emotionally gripping. Like Schindler's List, the film follows one man's attempt to save as many people as he can. Schindler and Rusesabagina were heroic, resourceful, and amazingly effective. However, as individuals, they could accomplish only so much. Outside intervention could have saved a million lives in Rwanda, but it was never forthcoming. The Rwandan genocide is one of the great tragedies of the 20th century. Hotel Rwanda brings this horror onto the screen and into our lives.
Addendum: Nick Nolte plays Colonel Oliver, the U.N. commander in Rwanda. This role is obviously based on Lieutenant General Romeo Dallaire, the Canadian officer who commanded the ridiculously small force of 400 U.N. soldiers. These troops were unable to do anything more than watch the genocide taking place before their eyes. General Dellaire's story is told in Steven Silver's film "The Last Just Man."