a very hard film to watch, but no more than we deserve

Rating: 10/10 (13 January 2005)

I saw this film in the theatre this afternoon and I can honestly say that not since "Schindler's List" have I been more moved, saddened, shocked and angered by a movie than I was by "Hotel Rwanda". It is a well-crafted, hard-hitting script that is both a testimony to one man's courage and a searing indictment of the West's unforgivable indifference to the tragedy. It is not easy viewing, but I can't help but think that really, we deserve this. We all have blood on our hands. The acting was excellent, particularly Don Cheadle and Sophie Okoneda (Oscar nominations, anyone?). But I was a little irked by Nick Nolte rather "uneven" Canadian accent. If anyone to learn more about the man who inspired Nolte's character, read "Shaking Hands with the Devil" by General Romeo Dallaire. It's every bit as disturbing and compelling as "Hotel Rwanda"