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Beyond the Gates
IFC Films / Renaissance Films

8.1 based on 18 reviews Read critic reviews How did we calculate this? based on 10 votes Read user comments Rate this movie

FILM:

• Basic Instinct 2
• City by the Sea
• Rob Roy
• The Jackal
• This Boy's Life

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MPAA RATING: R for strong violence, disturbing images and language

Starring John Hurt, Hugh Dancy, Dominique Horwitz, Louis Mahoney, Nicola Walker, Steve Toussaint, David Gyasi, and Susan Nalwoga

Based on true events and filmed in Rwanda with genocide survivors as cast and crew, Beyond the Gates tells their shared story of humanity in the most inhumane circumstances. This is a film about the choices we make when we are free to choose. (IFC Films)

GENRE(S):	Drama  |  Foreign
WRITTEN BY:	David Wolstencroft Richard Alwyn (story) David Belton (story)
DIRECTED BY:	Michael Caton-Jones
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: September 18, 2007  Theatrical: March 9, 2007
RUNNING TIME:	115 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	UK / Germany

Also known as "Shooting Dogs"

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

TV Guide Ken Fox

Caton-Jones' refusal to pull back on showing exactly what happened to the 800,000 Rwandans who were murdered that spring means that strong stomachs and even stronger nerves are required, but the film demands to be seen by anyone attempting to grasp how -- and just how quickly -- genocide can occur.

91

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

In some ways the movie's straightforward style is more appropriate to the horror than a more souped-up approach would have been. With material this strong, sometimes the best thing a filmmaker can do is to stay out of the way.

90

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

Tense and gut-wrenching, Beyond the Gates is a horrifying story told with grace and compassion.

90

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Critics have faulted this 2005 British feature about the Rwandan genocide for focusing on a couple of white characters instead of the 800,000 Tutsis who were slaughtered, but such easy judgments miss the point entirely: this is a spiritual drama, not a political one, drawing a thick line between our good intentions and the selfish choices we ultimately make.

88

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

If Beyond the Gates were merely a well-intentioned bore, the reality might seem jarring. As is, the coda fits and feels like the only possible ending--proof that surviving to help tell the story of a genocidal nightmare is the best revenge.

83

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

A gripping, terrifying, profoundly touching human drama that's definitely worth seeing.

83

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

John Hurt is magnetic as a Catholic priest running a school where terrified Tutsi have taken refuge, while Hugh Dancy, as a naive teacher, represents white commitment to black Africa at its most impotent and unreliable.

75

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

Hurt steals scenes with a brilliantly nuanced character, a man bitter enough to make every line delivered to his peers a challenge or an accusation, yet experienced enough to present those challenges with an ingratiating politesse that only cracks in extremis.

75

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Hurt and Dancy are terrific in these roles, but the power of the movie is in the tension created by Caton-Jones on the same sites where this historical event unfolded.

75

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

Powerful and moving.

70

Washington Post Desson Thomson

The film may employ the well-worn tradition of filtering African stories through the experiences of Europeans, but they use the conceit for some penetrating revelations.

63

New York Post Kyle Smith

The film is occasionally heavy-handed, and the priest character is almost absurdly saintly, but there is an awful power to scenes such as one in which the Europeans are evacuated on trucks.

60

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Though less reassuring and not as dramatically coherent as "Hotel Rwanda," it still packs a hard punch.

60

Variety Scott Foundas

Although in many respects a more stylish, authentic, tougher-minded film than "Hotel Rwanda," director Michael Caton-Jones' respectable and well-intentioned Beyond the Gates (aka Shooting Dogs) still falls into the trap of filtering an inherently African story through the eyes of a noble white protagonist -- in this case, two of them.

60

Village Voice Ella Taylor

Though hobbled by its anxious impulse to teach history to an audience that by now surely knows the basic contours of Rwanda's tragedy, the script apportions blame where it belongs (on high), while leaving smaller fry--including an admirably un-cute BBC journalist--dangling, however sympathetically, on the hook.

50

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

The greatest failure of the film, written by David Wolstencroft, is its inability to enter into the lives of the Rwandans, Tutsi and Hutu alike. The movie never moves beyond the tragic facts to show us the human face of either victims or perpetrators. All we get are white people shaking their heads and cursing Western governments.

50

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Sadly, this is the sort of movie in which the white Europeans do all the talking and worrying with each other. The Africans, for the most part, are either terrified, cowering, wincing masses or corpses strewn in the dirt.

50

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Beyond the Gates bears witness to the worst of the worst, but these days, and far more importantly, so does YouTube.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

John L. gave it a10:
As a Missionary, I was deeply touched by this movie. The sadness of how humanity treats humanity, and how no one stepped in to try to stop it... I recommend it to all who have never set foot in other countries, and to all who need a shock awakening as to what is going on elsewhere in the world besides here in the US. A fine depiction of both the Depravity of Man and the inability/unwillingness of governments to do what they ought to...unless there is something at stake for them to gain or prevent the loss of. A staunch reminder that Man's ways don't work, and that while God permits us to do these kinds of things to ourselves and our fellow humans, His ways are way so above ours and are what is needed in this world, if we would only permit Him to operate through us to effect the necessary changes. Think of it as a Prelude to/indication of what the tiniest bit of the coming Tribulation will be like, except the Tribulation will be on a MUCH larger scale and will be much much worse!!

Sean H. gave it a10:
It is one of the most intense, riveting and honest pieces of cinema I have ever seen. I mean no disrespect towards "Hotel Rwanda" which is a very strong and important film, but I can tell you that it simply pales in comparison to "Beyond the Gates" which was shot in Rwanda at the actual locations in and around Kigali.

Linda N. gave it an8:
John Hurt is magnetic as a Catholic priest running a school where terrified Tutsi have taken refuge, while Hugh Dancy, as a naive teacher, represents white commitment to black Africa at its most impotent and unreliable.

[Anonymous] gave it a4:
I have studied both genocide, Rwanda, and cinema and I have seen "Hotel Rwanda" and the famous PBS documentary on the autocracies. This movie is well-made, smart, well-acted, and very entertaining. It is mostly accurate and defintly brutal in its honesty about a matter that was nothing but brutal. However, dispite the films innocent goodness, it is somewhat stupid. It tries so hard to educated you, as if you knew nothing, and instead achives a repetitive, dry one-perspective white story. The film gives you content, but no real backround of a situation. The greatest failure of the film, written by David Wolstencroft, is its inability to enter into the lives of the Rwandans, Tutsi and Hutu alike. The movie never moves beyond the tragic facts to show us the human face of either victims or perpetrators. All we get are white people shaking their heads and cursing Western governments.

Roger O. gave it a9:
A profoundly moving and beautiful film that gets right to the point in a real-life depiction of a horrendous genocide build up. It shows you what really happened while delivering excellent acting performances. Not afraid to tell you the truth, and always in your face to show it. One of the best films of March.

Tony B. gave it a3:
A Film that tries too hard at being like honest and moving and instead falls to the hollywood stereotypes and political obsessions like so many africa-based films these days do. Entertaining, well acted, and at times powerful, but overall it comes up empty and brings little light to a done-with issue that has already been covered. A box office flop and a dull film. 3.2/10.

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