Summary:
The true story of the Taj Hotel terrorist attack in Mumbai.
My Thoughts:
Movies like “Hotel Mumbai” are important because these are stories that need to be heard about victims that shouldn’t be forgotten; we should learn from these situations, if that’s at all possible. At the same time, I think it’s risky to make movies like this relatively soon after the horrific events transpired. Thousands of people were affected the terrorist attacks that shook Mumbai in November of 2008, and it’s though it’s important to remember them, it’s also important not to be disrespectful to their memory.
I remember when Paul Greengrass’ “United 93” came out only five years after 9/11 it caused a bit of a stir from some people who thought the release of the film was too soon. I personally didn’t see the film until a few years later, but going into that movie I remember it had that connotation. “United 93” is one of the better terrorist attack films I’ve seen. I think that movie portrays the events in a way that is both realistic and respectful to the victims. In 2016 “Patriot’s Day” hit theaters, and that film depicted the events of the Boston Marathon bombing, which took place in 2013. I remember thinking that that film came out a bit too early, but there wasn’t much fuss about it when it hit theaters. “Patriot’s Day” was overall a decent film, but it suffered from a few sensationalist moments that almost went a bit too far.
“Hotel Mumbai” is a film that does its job well. It tells the story it set out to tell, but it also has scenes that are a bit too dramatic, almost to the point that it becomes a little disrespectful to the victims. For example, there are sequences where we follow a woman with a baby as she hides in a closet while gunmen search the room; she almost has to smother the baby to keep it quiet. In terms of craft, this sequence is well done; it’s incredibly intense. At the same time, that scene in particular feels like it would be more appropriate in a horror/slasher film like “Halloween”. It doesn’t feel as realistic or genuine when compared to some of the other moments, so why is it in this film?
The pacing was a bit uneven throughout. Within the first fifteen minutes, the attacks are under weigh, we’ve been introduced to the majority of our main characters, and after that the bulk of this film bounces between the survivors in the hotel trying to stay alive until the Indian Special Forces arrive. There are quite a few scenes where our heroes simply stand around in a few rooms, and I’ll admit that some of those scenes are intense, but towards the end I found that those scenes started to drag on a bit too long. Hearing people tell each other how dangerous it would be to go outside the room they’re in is only compelling for so long, and then it gets boring pretty quick.
There were some parts that I really liked. This film is gorgeously shot, and the sequences that show the actual terror attacks are gripping and disturbing. As far as acting goes almost everyone did a fine job. Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”) gave one of his finer performances. There was one scene where Patel talks with an elderly white woman who has complained about his turban, saying that it makes her uncomfortable. Patel explains to the woman his turban’s significance and shows her pictures of his wife. While it’s obvious that the scene is supposed to show a breaking down of barriers during a very difficult time, it does it in a way that seems a bit tawdry. I think the message of what the scene is trying to convey is important, but I think the way it does it is a bit ham-fisted.
Some of the characters are developed in a way that almost seemed a bit laughable, like, for example, Jason Isaacs’ (“The Death of Stalin”) character Vasili, a brash Russian whom loudly requests two prostitutes be sent to his room in his introductory scene. While I normally like Armie Hammer (“Call Me By Your Name”), I thought that his character was a bit gung ho- his character was almost a satire of the cocky American sterotype. As far as Hammer’s acting goes, he was fine, I just thought his character was a touch weak.
There were a few great nuanced moments, like when one of the terrorists comes across one of the main characters named Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi, “Ben-Hur (2016)”), whom happens to be Muslim. As Zahra says a prayer, the terrorist points a gun at her and asks her how she knows the words she speaks. Zahra keeps praying and the terrorist finds it difficult to pull the trigger, even though his boss is telling him to do so. I found this moment was wonderful both from acting and writing standpoints; it’s a moment that forces the terrorist to look at what he’s actually doing and realize that he’s hurting people that are not at all different from him.
For me, the worst parts of this film were when it waded into an action movie territory. I just wish they‘d approached the deaths of some of these people with a bit more reverence. It’s strange to watch a film based on horrific true events where hundreds of people died and the music is exciting and pulse-pounding, akin to something that should be in “Mission Impossible: Fallout”.
Verdict:
Overall I thought this movie was well done. It’s a fairly intense ride, and it has some very brutal moments of violence, so I urge caution if you’re a squeamish person. While I wish some of the scenes weren’t as sensationalized, “Hotel Mumbai” does get the story out there about some truly tragic events, and while it’s not perfect, it is mostly respectful to the victims.
Unfortunately, these kinds of events are more and more common. We can’t stop them, but hopefully we can learn from them. The only way we can learn from them is to remember them, and these are the kinds of films help us do that.
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