Hotel Rwanda
Early in its history, the people of Rwanda were divided into two groups, Tutsis and Hutu. Today, it looked as though peace would be achieved between these two factions, but violence kept them divided. The Hutu threatened to kill every Tutsis in sight, even with the eyes of the world upon them and U.N. peacekeepers doing nothing about it. In the middle of it all, Paul (Don Cheadle) is the manager of a hotel that caters to American and European tourists. Paul, a Hutu, is married to Tatiana, a Tutsis. Once the violence erupts, Paul houses hundreds of Tutsis refugees in the hotel, as U.N. forces withdraw to safer territory. It takes a lot to protect these refugees, constantly paying off his police friends while he pleads with the commander of the U.N. forces and the president of the hotel for help. It's a temporary fix, but time is running out and everything around him crumbles in the mean time.

The film does a really good job showing the inhumane conditions the Rwandans faced during this time of civil war. You can't help but feel for Paul as he himself feels helpless through many junctures of the film until a quick idea leads to a few more days of survival. Cheadle does a great job of conveying this, showing a good face to the crowds but showing how it can take its toll privately. It's also a quick history lesson for those who do not remember the casualties in Rwanda during the crisis in 1994. 3.5 stars