Hotel Mumbai
Film
Review by Kam Williams
On
November 26, 2008, radical Islamists from Pakistan launched a series
of coordinated attacks around the city of Mumbai which would claim
174 lives and leave hundreds more wounded. Within hours of the raid,
the authorities were able to secure all of the sites except for the
legendary Taj
Mahal Palace Hotel.
The
jihadists ostensibly picked the legendary 5-star resort as the
location for a final showdown because of its image as a getaway spot
for rich and famous Westerners. The siege there would
last four days, since the local police were outgunned by the
terrorists who were armed to the teeth with bombs, hand grenades and
automatic weapons.
Directed
by Anthony Maras, Hotel Mumbai is a harrowing docudrama which
recreates the horrific events which transpired inside the Taj. In
making his movie, the first-time filmmaker relied heavily on Mumbai
Massacre, a 2009 documentary composed of survivors' recollections of
their nightmares.
This
fictionalized account, which changes names and conflates characters,
primarily revolves around the ordeals of Arjun (Dev Patel) and David
(Armie Hammer). The former is a selfless Sikh waiter who exhibits
extraordinary heroism in an effort to save as many of the hotel's
traumatized guests as possible. And the latter is a frazzled tourist
desperate to reunite with his wife (Nazanin Boniadi), baby and nanny
(Tilda Cobham-Hervey).
Besides these protagonists, the film features a profusion of
simplistically-drawn supporting players, a la your typical disaster
flick. There's the Russian playboy (Jason Isaacs), an elitist,
world-class chef (Anupam Kher), a deferential butler (Alex Pinder),
and so forth.
After
the motley ensemble is introduced, the burning question left to be
answered is which of these trapped victims will be able to remain
undiscovered by the bloodthirsty assassins until the Special Forces
Unit finally arrives from Delhi, some 800 miles away. For, the
terrorist cell in control of the building is portrayed as religious
zealots blinded by the prospect of paradise promised by The Bull
(Pawan Singh), the operation's diabolical mastermind.
Yes,
the hotel is ultimately retaken and order is restored. Nevertheless,
the S.W.A.T. Team's belated triumph remains overshadowed by the
sobering reality of so many lives senselessly lost. In sum, an
uplifting tale of heroism and survival, as well as a haunting
reminder of the evil that men do.
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated R
for profanity, bloody images and pervasive violence
Running
time: 123 minutes
Production
Companies: Thunder Road Pictures / Xeitgeist Entertainment Group /
Arclight Films Electric Pictures
Distributors:
Bleecker Street
