Our world has evolved into a volatile, vulnerable and scary place, especially since 911. Since then, terrorism seems to be the order of the day globally, where the most innocuous places and situations turn horrific. Hollywood has told stories about many of the travesties that has occurred including "Hotel Mumbai" about the mass shooting of a major hotel in India.
A gritting true story of humanity and heroism, this film recounts the November 26, 2008 siege of the famed Taj Hotel by a group of terrorists in Mumbai, India. Among the dedicated hotel staff is the renowned chef Hemant Oberoi (Anupam Kher) and a waiter Arjun (Dev Patel), who choose to risk their lives to protect their guests. As the world watches on, a desperate couple, David (Armie Hammer) and Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi) is forced to make unthinkable sacrifices to protect their newborn son which is being taken care of by nanny Sally (Tilda Cobham-Hervey). The police force is spread thin and a special forces group is as far away as 800 miles. So, between the police, hotel staff and guests, they must hold off these terrorists somehow until the special forces arrive, which adds to the intensity of the situation.
Others to round out the cast are Jason Isaacs as Vasili, Alex Pinder as Butler Jamon, Gaurav Paswala as Sanjay, Angus McLaren as Eddie, Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Bree, Amandeep Singh as Imran, Suhail Nayyar as Abdullah, Manoj Mehra as Houssam, Dinesh Kumar as Rashid and Kapil Kumar Metra as Ajmal.
This was directed by a virtual newcomer, Anthony Maras (shorts). This filmmaker comes from a producing background and obviously has observed the filmmakers he has worked with on many projects. Also, for one to be this talented in the director's chair with such limited experience, one has to be a natural. These actors were extremely believable in their respective roles to the smallest detail. It will be interesting to see what he directs next. It was delineated well by writers John Collee ("Paper Mask" '90, "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" '03, "Happy Feet" '06, "Creation" '09, "Walking with Dinosaurs 3D" '13, "Wolf Totem" '15, "Frackman" (documentary) '15, "Tanna" '15, "The Patriarch" '16) plus others, TV and shorts, and Maras (shorts). Obviously Collee has the lion's share of the writing here, Maras being a newcomer in this category as well. Obviously Maras was a contributing part of this story being his film, but clearly Collee was instrumental in making sure the continuity and cohesiveness in script was executed where it needed to be. The interesting thing about this screenplay was that there was an obvious delineation between the horror of the terrorists and the understanding and love of the Indians who were terrorized all the while attempting to save others. I personally respect this because we all have a tendency to lump all into the same category whatever the group or demographic. We don't have to agree with each other's beliefs--whether they be spiritual, life or political, but we can still love each other regardless. This is a choice! If you see this, hopefully you'll get this message out of it. The writing was incredibly tight, where you could feel these peoples' pain, so much so, I was squirming in my seat and biting my nails to the nub.
This is one of those films where it's not for everyone, especially given the raw grit and realism involved to get the point across that terrorism is horrific and should be wiped off the face of the earth. Honestly, it was so gripping and intense that when I reached the car after the film, I immediately uncontrollably sobbed, because it was so difficult to wrap my head around the fact that there are people out there that are willing to mow others down and do it as effortlessly as breathing. Just know that when and if you decide to see this film, it's a tough sit, but the writing, directing and the ensemble cast was stunning, especially Dev Patel.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: R 123mins.
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