Don Cheadle is the best actor working today. And Hotel Rwanda deserved more than it received.

Rating: 10/10 (19 April 2005)

With all due respect to Jamie Foxx, Don Cheadle gave the best performance of 2004 in Hotel Rwanda. The real-life tale of the Rwandan genocide that took place in 1994 might not have been seen by the majority of the American public this winter, but it should have been. As Rwandan hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina, Cheadle commands every scene and puts himself into the upper echelon of today's American actors.
The story of Hotel Rwanda may not be familiar to many. In over 100 days in 1994, nearly one million people died as a result of a war between two Rwandan tribes, the Hutus and the Tutsis. This tragedy was completely overlooked the world over, especially here in America.
During this civil war, Rusesabagina housed thousands of Rwandan refugees in his hotel, the Mille de Colline. As hotel manager, he bargained, pled and bribed for the lives of friends, family members and those he didn't even know.
After numerous, but memorable, supporting roles in movies like Swordfish, Bulworth, Ocean's Eleven, Boogie Nights and Traffic, it was refreshing to see Cheadle get his chance at being a leading man.
While Cheadle was the heart and soul of Hotel Rwanda, he wasn't the only bright spot. In addition to the aforementioned writing and direction from Terry George, relative newcomer Sophie Okonedo turns in a brilliant, Oscar-nominated performance as Rusesabagina's wife, Tatiana. Joaquin Phoenix and Nick Nolte also nail their supporting roles, Phoenix as an ashamed American journalist and Nolte as a struggling UN Colonel trying to keep the peace.
Though Phoenix appears in just a few scenes, he delivers the most memorable and perhaps the most accurate line depicting the Rwandan conflict. "If people see this," he says, referring to Americans watching the news at home, "they'll say, 'Oh my God, that's horrible,' and then go on eating their dinners." Maybe, if more people get a chance to see Hotel Rwanda, that sentiment could change. This isn't just a movie; it's a film that can change lives, policy and the way we think about our actions.