Review of Hotel Rwanda (2004) by Larry D — 31 Mar 2013

Feels much more like a made-for-TV movie than a feature film. It would have benefitted greatly from a more capable director. The DP's overlighting suggests that the scenery was created on a backlot, despite the fact it was filmed on location. The film's completely devoid of visual style or dramatic energy. I couldn't believe how visually insipid this movie was--it looked like a "B" movie from the 80s, absolutely uninspired. The camera shows no imagination or life, it simply sits there. Terry George challenges nothing. He uses words to paint a picture that could have been much more effective if the camera were let loose more. George puts more importance on the words of the script rather than showing them. If he were writing an op-end piece for a newspaper, that'd be dandy. But this is film and the medium has certain demands, the main one being it's visual.

The movie is polite and inoffensive to the point where it is offensive. The acting is good... the script works when it's not overtly preaching, and the story naturally unfolds. There's also a severe lack of tension and the drama doesn't feel as weighty as it should be, given the subject matter. Except for a few scenes in the beginning, the characters didn't feel like they were in much peril. For a film about this subject matter, I expected to be on the edge of my seat throughout. But it is watchable.