Hotel Mumbai

https://youtu.be/gVQpbp54ljA

A drama full of intensity is one of my favorite genres of movie, a close second to the horror film. Some prime examples of these intense films would be Everest (2015), Exam (2009), Hard Candy (2005), The Impossible (2012), Jacob’s Ladder (1990), Kidnap (2017), No Escape (2015), and Mean Creek (2004). In addition to an intense drama, I also love movies based on real events. Everest and The Impossible manage to fall into both of these categories. The trailer for Hotel Mumbai gives you the impression that it would fit this combination and it absolutely does! This movie is now the fourth addition to my 2019 Potential Best Picture Nominees List.

Hotel Mumbai is based on a portion of the actual events that took place in Mumbai, India from 11/26/08-11/29/08. 10 members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Righteous) Islamic terrorist organization carried out 12 attacks (using AK-47s, IEDs, grenades, and the explosive RDX) over 4 days killing “at least” 166 innocent people and wounding roughly 300 more. This film focuses primarily on the events that occurred at The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel but also shows you the beginnings of all of the attacks. Throughout, you will see these terrorists interact with their leader, referred to as The Bull, only via phone calls. The Bull wants them to kill as many as possible, including making sure some are visible to the media cameras watching from outside to show their carnage, while also keeping the highest profile guests alive to use as hostages.

This film pieces together an underrated all-star cast of actors that you may know more by face than by name. The biggest name and possibly most recognizable of these actors is Dev Patel. Dev essentially broke into Hollywood with his role as Older Jamal in the 2008 Best Picture Academy Award winner Slumdog Millionaire. He earned his first Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actor) for playing Saroo in 2016’s Lion. In this film, Dev plays Arjun, a waiter at The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel who does everything he can to save as many of his guests as possible. In the back of his mind, Arjun also has a toddler at home along with a pregnant wife that could go into labor “any day”.

Armie Hammer is a name that has been getting bigger throughout the years. Armie’s first noticeable role came in The Social Network when he played both of the Winklevoss twins. He started to become bigger and more apparent to movie viewers with his role as Oliver in the Best Picture nominated film Call Me By Your Name, a performance that many felt should have garnered him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In Hotel Mumbai, he plays David, an architect who was dining with his wife in the hotel’s restaurant while their nanny is upstairs in their room taking care of their newborn son Cameron when the terrorists start shooting inside the hotel.

Jason Isaacs has built a career around being cast as an antagonist. He has done so expertly as Captain Hook in the 2003 live action version of Peter Pan, as Colonel William Tavington in Mel Gibson’s The Patriot, and most notably as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series. In Hotel Mumbai though, Isaacs plays Vasili, a Russian VIP who is very rough around the edges but also assists the innocents in this time of crisis.

Two other key actors from the supporting cast are Nazanin Boniadi and Anupam Kher. Boniadi is better known for her TV roles as Nora in How I Met Your Mother and Fara Sherazi in Homeland. She plays Zahra, David’s wife who also happens to be a Muslim. Kher is recognizable from his roles in Silver Linings Playbook and The Big Sick. He plays Chef Oberoi at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, who leads the effort of the staff in trying to save the lives of as many of his guests as humanly possible.

All in all, Hotel Mumbai will literally keep you on the edge of your seat with its intensity. Personally, I didn’t know many details as to what happened in Mumbai on those fateful days, even if some poetic license was used to alter some facts. This was also director Anthony Maras’ first feature length film, having previously directed three short films, and I would love to see him grow even more as a director. He kept this movie very detailed, from the nonchalant bloodshed caused by these terrorists to keeping them speaking in their native language (accompanied with subtitles). That may seem minor to most but it keeps the authenticity factor high as opposed to having everybody speak English just to make it easier on the audience.