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34
10,000 B.C.
55
Baby Mama
62
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36
College Road Trip
xx
Dark Knight, The
31
Deception
41
Drillbit Taylor
57
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67
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
54
Get Smart
49
Hancock
34
Happening, The
57
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
xx
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71
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61
Incredible Hulk, The
65
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79
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xx
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
35
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73
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24
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37
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xx
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58
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48
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55
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22
Postal
69
Redbelt
44
Ruins, The
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
76
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37
Shutter
37
Speed Racer
61
Stop Loss
47
Strangers, The
55
Street Kings
33
Superhero Movie
93
WALL-E
64
Wanted
36
What Happens in Vegas...
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
93
WALL-E
79
Iron Man
76
Shine a Light
73
Kung Fu Panda
71
Horton Hears a Who!
69
Redbelt
67
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
64
Wanted
62
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The
61
Stop Loss
61
Incredible Hulk, The
58
Mist, The
57
Forbidden Kingdom, The
57
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
55
Street Kings
55
Nim's Island
55
Baby Mama
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
54
Get Smart
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
49
Hancock
48
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
47
Strangers, The
44
Ruins, The
41
Drillbit Taylor
37
Made of Honor
37
Shutter
37
Speed Racer
36
College Road Trip
36
What Happens in Vegas...
35
Jumper
34
Happening, The
34
10,000 B.C.
33
Superhero Movie
31
Deception
24
Love Guru, The
22
Postal
xx
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
xx
Dark Knight, The
xx
Mamma Mia!
xx
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

83
Alexandra
80
Band's Visit, The
76
Beauty in Trouble
47
Bella
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
59
Blind Mountain
55
Bra Boys
60
Brick Lane
70
Caramel
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
83
Chop Shop
83
Chris & Don. A Love Story
78
Counterfeiters, The
52
Diminished Capacity
64
Dreams with Sharp Teeth
73
Duchess of Langeais, The
84
Edge of Heaven, The
52
Elsa & Fred
79
Encounters at the End of the World
62
Expired
64
Fall, The
51
Finding Amanda
57
Flawless
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
63
Foot Fist Way, The
60
Fugitive Pieces
45
Full Grown Men
55
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
69
Go-Getter, The
74
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
63
Gunnin for that #1 Spot
68
Heartbeat Detector
34
Holding Trevor
68
Honeydripper
55
Irina Palm
69
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60
Jihad for Love, A
68
Kabluey
62
Kiss the Bride
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
82
Last Mistress, The
38
Life Before Her Eyes, The
70
Love Songs
64
Married Life
30
Meet Bill
33
Miss Conception
53
Mister Lonely
74
Mongol
52
Mother of Tears, The
52
My Blueberry Nights
71
My Brother Is an Only Child
84
My Winnipeg
61
On the Rumba River
69
Operation Filmmaker
61
OSS 117: Cairo - Nest of Spies
83
Paranoid Park
72
Priceless
51
Promotion, The
55
Quid Pro Quo
29
Red Roses and Petrol
79
Reprise
71
Roman de gare
xx
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
56
Sangre de mi sangre
51
Savage Grace
76
Shotgun Stories
66
Son of Rambow
70
Standard Operating Procedure
62
Stuck
72
Surfwise
81
Tell No One
56
Then She Found Me
xx
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
71
To the Limit
54
Tracey Fragments, The
70
Trumbo
72
Tuya's Marriage
83
U2 3D
56
Unknown Woman
86
Up the Yangtze
79
Visitor, The
62
Wackness, The
37
War, Inc.
64
Water Lilies
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
55
Without the King
72
Woman on the Beach
64
XXY
67
Year My Parents Went on Vacation, The
75
Young@Heart
86
Up the Yangtze
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
84
My Winnipeg
84
Edge of Heaven, The
83
Chop Shop
83
Paranoid Park
83
Alexandra
83
U2 3D
83
Chris & Don. A Love Story
82
Last Mistress, The
81
Tell No One
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
80
Band's Visit, The
79
Reprise
79
Encounters at the End of the World
79
Visitor, The
78
Counterfeiters, The
76
Beauty in Trouble
76
Shotgun Stories
75
Young@Heart
74
Mongol
74
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
73
Duchess of Langeais, The
72
Woman on the Beach
72
Priceless
72
Tuya's Marriage
72
Surfwise
71
To the Limit
71
My Brother Is an Only Child
71
Roman de gare
70
Standard Operating Procedure
70
Trumbo
70
Love Songs
70
Caramel
69
Go-Getter, The
69
Operation Filmmaker
69
Jellyfish
68
Kabluey
68
Heartbeat Detector
68
Honeydripper
67
Year My Parents Went on Vacation, The
66
Son of Rambow
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
64
Married Life
64
Dreams with Sharp Teeth
64
XXY
64
Water Lilies
64
Fall, The
63
Foot Fist Way, The
63
Gunnin for that #1 Spot
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
62
Stuck
62
Expired
62
Wackness, The
62
Kiss the Bride
61
OSS 117: Cairo - Nest of Spies
61
On the Rumba River
60
Fugitive Pieces
60
Brick Lane
60
Jihad for Love, A
59
Blind Mountain
57
Flawless
56
Unknown Woman
56
Then She Found Me
56
Sangre de mi sangre
55
Quid Pro Quo
55
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
55
Irina Palm
55
Bra Boys
55
Without the King
54
Tracey Fragments, The
53
Mister Lonely
52
Diminished Capacity
52
Elsa & Fred
52
Mother of Tears, The
52
My Blueberry Nights
51
Finding Amanda
51
Promotion, The
51
Savage Grace
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
47
Bella
45
Full Grown Men
38
Life Before Her Eyes, The
37
War, Inc.
34
Holding Trevor
33
Miss Conception
30
Meet Bill
29
Red Roses and Petrol
xx
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
xx
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Hotel Rwanda
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / United Artists
FILM:
MPAA RATING: PG-13 on appeal for violence, disturbing images and brief strong language
Starring
Don Cheadle,
Sophie Okonedo,
Nick Nolte,
Joaquin Phoenix,
Desmond Dube,
David O'Hara,
Cara Seymour,
and
Fana Mokoena
Based on true events from the civil war in Rwanda, this film profiles Paul Rusesabagina (Cheadle), the manager of a luxury hotel who opened his establishment to Tutsi refugees despite the danger to himself and his family.
| GENRE(S): |
Drama
|
War
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Keir Pearson
Terry George
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Terry George
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: April 12, 2005
Theatrical: December 22, 2004
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
110 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
Canada / UK / Italy / South Africa |
Nominated, Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Original Song - Motion Picture, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama (Cheadle), 2005 Golden Globe Awards; People's Choice Award, 2004 Toronto International Film Festival

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
USA Today
Claudia Puig
Emerges as an African version of "Schindler's List."

100
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
Deep movie emotions for me usually come not when the characters are sad, but when they are good. You will see what I mean.

100
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
An extraordinary and effective film.

100
Baltimore Sun
Michael Sragow
Enraging and enthralling.

91
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
Several times, Hotel Rwanda teeters on the edge of making a unique, visionary statement about our times, but can't quite do it. Too bad. If it could have pulled itself together in one brilliant scene, this may have been a great movie, instead of just a very good one.

90
Washington Post
Ann Hornaday
Magnificent.

90
Salon.com
Charles Taylor
A startlingly effective and upsetting political melodrama.

90
The Hollywood Reporter
Michael Rechtshaffen
Cheadle impressively carries the entire picture, delivering the kind of note-perfect performance that's absolutely deserving of Oscar consideration.

90
The New Yorker
David Denby
The film turns into a triumph for Don Cheadle, who never steps outside the character for emotional grandstanding or easy moralism.

90
Time
Richard Schickel
It is a powerful portrait of a slightly befuddled man who, when inhuman demands were placed on him, found within himself an unexpected response.

88
Premiere
Glenn Kenny
By turns harrowing and stirring, it’s a shame-inducing history lesson that never feels like a lecture.

88
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
This role could represent a career performance for Cheadle, whose forceful and multi-dimensional portrayal keeps Hotel Rwanda at a consistently high level.

88
Charlotte Observer
Lawrence Toppman
An articulate plea to Westerners not to repeat these terrible sins of omission.

88
Chicago Tribune
Michael Wilmington
Not a striking film visually. It's deliberately plain looking, focused on the appalling events with an almost documentary immediacy.

88
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
One of the year's best.

88
Philadelphia Inquirer
Carrie Rickey
A gut-punch of a drama.

83
Portland Oregonian
Marc Mohan
Cheadle's performance elevates Hotel Rwanda, making it a film that does justice to the tragedy it commemorates.

80
Empire
Dan Jolin
It's a weighty message movie, but it's a message worth delivering – and the cast's delivery is flawless.

80
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
It sweeps over you with blunt, unequivocal conviction.

80
Slate
David Edelstein
Cheadle is extraordinary.

80
Dallas Observer
Jean Oppenheimer
Cheadle, always a fine actor, is outstanding here--an almost willfully naive yet uncommonly decent man who sees civilization crashing and burning around him yet who, almost against his own better judgment, refuses to give in to it.

80
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
Hotel Rwanda isn't impersonal, even though it only hints at the story's full horror. It's stunning.
80
Chicago Reader
J.R. Jones
Cheadle's quiet, superbly modulated performance as an ordinary man driven to heroism by hellish events reminds us that the slogan "no justice, no peace" has a private as well as a public dimension.

80
LA Weekly
Ernest Hardy
Hotel Rwanda, based on real lives and events, aims unequivocally to break your heart.

80
Newsweek
David Ansen
Ultimately, one's reservations are overwhelmed by the story's urgency; it's impossible not to be shattered.

78
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
Scrappy, powerful, and shocking.

75
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
George has been criticized for simplifying a complex story into an African "Schindler's List." But despite flaws in execution, this is a film of rare courage and imperishable heart.

75
New York Daily News
Jack Mathews
In condensing Rusesabagina's story, George has undoubtedly overstated the specific dramatic moments; the movie has more cliff-hangers than the "Indiana Jones" series.

75
Miami Herald
Connie Ogle
All we can do is hope that films such as Hotel Rwanda remind us all -- moviegoer and politician -- of the terrible cost of doing nothing.

75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Liam Lacey
Throughout the film, Cheadle's eyes are constantly scanning his environment for opportunities or anything that may be amiss.

75
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
I wish Hotel Rwanda felt like something more than a very, very good TV movie.

70
TV Guide
Ken Fox
It's a great part for a great actor and Cheadle does a magnificent job turning this living legend back into flawed, flesh-and-blood reality.

70
Variety
Scott Foundas
The genocide of some one million Rwandan Tutsis by their Hutu neighbors remains a disgraceful and too-little-known episode in recent world history. Alas, Terry George's ineffectual Hotel Rwanda only partly rectifies that problem, taking what ought to have been a complex, powerful inquiry and simplifying it to a story about the resilience of the human spirit.

70
Village Voice
Michael Atkinson
It's a gut-twisting story handled, largely and predictably, with asbestos mitts.

70
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
The story it tells is such a wrenching one it cannot help but move us, especially when the performance of a lifetime by Don Cheadle is added to the mix.

70
The New York Times
Stephen Holden
A political thriller based on fact that hammers every button on the emotional console.

70
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Scott Tobias
The Rwandan genocide was one of the most shameful marks on Bill Clinton's presidency, but for all the film's powerful images, George stops short of the forceful political statement that Rusesabagina's story demands.

58
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
A strange history lesson that leaves us more overlectured than properly overwhelmed.

50
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
The subject is crucially important, but the movie dilutes its impact with by-the-numbers filmmaking, and Cheadle's one-note performance displays few of his acting gifts.

40
Film Threat
Phil Hall
The film presents the Rwandans in the worst possible way: venal, corrupt, vicious, stupid, barbaric and completely incapable of governing themselves. Honestly, I've seen more intelligent and sympathetic depictions of Africans in Tarzan movies.


The average user rating for this movie is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 145 User Votes
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