Good movie...very important for America to see.

Rating: Null/10 (27 December 2004)

This movie, while not entirely perfect, is a fine mix of great acting, realism, and humanism. Cheadle does a great job with the lead role, and the supporting cast are all quite believable. The subject matter is extremely important for this country right now, as it shows how, when there is no monetary interest to be had, big countries like America, England, etc, will back out of stopping an unbelievable genocide.
However, the movie holds back in it's graphic depictions, which is either good or bad, depending on your outlook. Personally, I think it should have gone further, as this would have created an even more dire and urgent picture. And in this movie, as opposed to the such films as the Passion of the Christ, the brutality is all modern reality, not based on any religious intent.
The music score is AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL, and shows how a bad score can really tear a movie apart, in my opinion. It was like listening to music from the Lifetime or Hallmark channel...truly bad and misplaced. If they had gone with a more sparse, ethnically appropriate score, it would have pushed Hotel Rwanda over the top, but instead makes some scenes awash in maudlin-ism and near Ewok village-level cheesiness. When the score stands out this way, you know it's bad. One should never be paying attention to the music like this, and it undermines the fine performances.
All in all, a great experience. Just ask the movie theater you're at to turn the music off!!