It is amazing what humans are capable of. Love, pain, courage, savagery; all of this is on display in the telling of the true events that took place in Mumbai. Hotel Mumbai tells the story of the Taj Hotel during the attacks that took place in 2008. Unlike many terrorist movies where a bomb goes off followed by commotion, Hotel Mumbai shows the brutality of terrorism by not turning away from the gruesome events. With a good cast that takes you on an emotional journey, Hotel Mumbai is a chilling tale of historic events.

Dev Patel (Arjun) leads a cast that is able to get you emotionally invested in each role. Patel is asked to portray nearly every human emotion and he does so excellently. Nazanin Boniadi (Zahra) and Armie Hammer (David) play a married couple with child that are desperate to save their family. At every moment you are on edge as you become tied to their story. With other notable roles from a strong and culturally diverse cast, Hotel Mumbai is a tremendous display of emotional performances.

With realistic brutality that rivals any World War II scene, Hotel Mumbai locks you in the hotel as if you are a hostage yourself. In no way do they make light of the events that took place in that hotel or in Mumbai. Strong performances, mixed with actual news footage and scenes that hold your face to the fire, this film immerses you in tragedy like no other film in recent memory. With scenes that border giving you PTSD, Hotel Mumbai is a story that needed to be told. It is important to be reminded that terrorism is not exclusive to a specific place or culture and the events that took place and bravery shown by many should not be forgotten. This is a movie that deserves your viewing and is sure to be around during award season.

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