Hotel Rwanda is a must-see. Period. Moving, haunting, chilling. Hotel Rwanda is a true story of one man's heroism in the face of extreme violence and terror. 

In 1994, over a period of approximately three months 800,000 Rwandans were massacred. According to an article in the New York Times, "In Rwanda, the United States did not simply not intervene. It also used its considerable power to discourage other Western powers from intervening." The U.S. was reluctant to intervene because just a several months earlier 18 US soldiers lost their lives in Somalia and 10 Belgian soldiers had already been killed in Rwanda. The Rwandans were left to fend for themselves.

Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), a hotel owner and member of the dominant Hutu tribe, using his connections and his resourcefulness, housed over 1,200 Tutsis in his hotel saving them from almost certain death.

Hotel Rwanda is a war story but it concentrates on the human and the heroic by focusing on Rusesabagina, his wife Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo), a Tutsi, and Col. Oliver (Nick Nolte) a UN Peacekeeper working with a fraction of the troops he needs to be able to actually keep anything close to peace (Nolte's character is based on a UN Peacekeeper but is largely a fictional character). You won't see epic battle scenes or excessive gore. The film could have easily gone that way but writer-director Terry George decides to focus on Rusesabagina and telling his story. It's a decision that works. 

Cheadle is excellent as hotel manager Rusesabagina. He's a man who knows how things work and more importantly how to get things done. It's his knowledge and his ingenuity that make his incredible act possilble. Complimenting the quiet intensity of Cheadle's performance is that of British actress Sophie Okonedo. Nick Nolte also fares well here. In fact, I can say that this is the best that I've seen him act in years.  

Director Terry George says he fought to keep this movie a PG-13 instead an an R so that students could get a chance to see it. Yet, students aren't the only ones who can learn something from Hotel Rwanda. The lessons about what transpired in Rwanda and more generally lessons of heroism, sacrifice, love and honor are lessons we can call learn from.