Hotel Rwanda (Blu-ray)

Hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) is put between a rock and a hard place when he's confronted with saving his family or doing whatever he can to save over 1,200 Tutsi refugees from being massacred by Hutu extremists.

The world can be an ugly place and in 1994 the situation in Rwanda resulted in over 1 million deaths. Men such as Rusensabagina show us that despite all the bad in the world, there are truly good people that will stop at nothing to do what is right, even if it means sacrificing their own life. Cheadle's performance earned him an Oscar nomination, but in my opinion he was robbed when Jamie Foxx won for his portrayal of Ray Charles.

Video Highlights

  • AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
  • Excellent fine detail
  • Dry color palette
  • Well resolved shadows

Audio Highlights

  • DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
  • Crisp dynamics
  • Strong bass response
  • Occasional ambiance in surround speakers
  • Intelligible dialog

This is one of Fox's better catalog presentations I've seen in a while. The video encode is loaded with fine detail, has plenty of shadow detail, and transports you back to 1994. The audio track is dialog heavy but certainly delivers the goods.

Bonus Materials

  • Audio commentary
  • Select scene commentary by Don Cheadle
  • Return to Rwanda documentary
  • Theatrical trailer

This certainly isn't an easy movie to watch given the subject matter, but Cheadle's performance is worth the price of admission. I love the inspirational aspect to the story about not taking the easy road and standing up for what is right. Recommended.

Release Date: May 10, 2011
Studio: Fox

Movie: 9/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS40 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Integra DTC-80.2 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PVA-PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics

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