Hotel Mumbai is based on the true events of 2008. And now after having watched this film I am shocked to realize that I have no recollection of these events at all. Whatever the reason was for me not having noticed or worse have forgotten about it I can assure you I won't ever again.
The events depicted in this film are truly terrifying and aggravating. What if one day you are out and about doing some mundane thing like shopping or drinking a cup of coffee and some random person suddenly starts shooting and murdering people. What can you do against this? How can you prepare yourself for something like this? There might be some things you can do. Like training yourself to be more vigilant and combat ready. But even then you would still have to overcome shock, fear, sorrow and anger. Perhaps when you are in such a situation you won't act like you thought you would. In truth you can't prepare yourself. Terrorists like these are downright ignorant and evil. And they will go on until they are stopped.
Very little to no background is given to the depicted terrorists. But by their interactions and conversations you get an idea where they are coming from. Poor uneducated simpletons who got recruited and brainwashed to commit jihad in the name of Allah. They are lead by someone in the background who tells them what to do every step of the way without ever getting in harms way himself. Very rarely do they question this leader even when he orders them to do things that goes against the principles of their own religion. Which is proof that this has nothing to do with following God's word to the fullest. They are just dogs who wait to bark and bite when told by their master. It is absolutely aggravating to witness their disregard for human life.
Of course the sympathy lies with the victims even when some of them act very stupidly. Most of them are scared and don't know how to act. It was nice to see how a few characters were able to talk some sense into them. Actually in one scene it had a significant dramatic impact on me. To me it did feel like they were trying their hardest to stay true to how events occurred instead of spinning a melodramatic narrative. I am sure many liberties have been taken but it did not feel like the melodrama was insincere and fake. The exact opposite. I can imagine being there in the middle of these events with people like these.
The acting and direction is top notch. Every cast member have managed to depict real people and how real people would and could act. You didn't have John McClane or Rambo types running around and saving the day. Just normal people trying to do what they can to help out. That to me defines true heroism.
I have read reviews where they claimed this film was boring and tedious. How anyone could think this is beyond me. Sure there might be scenes where certain plot lines weren't as compelling as they could or should have been. Still the tension and dread was ever present and only let up once the film was finished. It took some time for me to process these horrific events.
Overall this is a must watch. Hotel Mumbai from start to finish is a tense and thrilling film that never lets up. And people let us be nicer to each other. One day your life might depend on it.
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