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Too-tame treatment of a tragic time Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) is hotel manager at a swanky 4-star Belgian report in Rwanda in 1994. When Hutu-Tutsi violence begins, he must use all of his charm, hotel resources and favors to save 1600 of his family and countrymen from brutal deaths at the hands of rampaging mobs and militias. This episodic film is more notable for the importance of bringing the Rwandan genocide to the screen than for its acting, sets or script. There's a certain unidimensionality to the characters, who either are very good, or very evil, or on their way to becoming so. The plot is somewhat contrived, with the small band of refugees at Rusesabagina' hotel enduring a series of escalating threats until (in the nick of time!) they manage to flee. The clichéd approach to a horrifying story dulls its impact. Still, "Hotel Rwanda" raises important questions about the role of the outside world (media, government, business) in moderating brutality. It shined a spotlight on the lack of interest that "civilized" nations had in stopping the killing. The scenes in which white church workers abandoned their African "friends" was more than a little infuriating. Three cheers for Cheadle, though, who was completely convincing (if 2 turns too noble) as an African man in the midst of chaos. A thumbs-sideways for the film's toned-down violence. True, more people may see the film than if its violence was R-rated, but the lack of horror drained the movie of its emotional context. I give the film three stars for quality, plus one for civic value.