You’re forgiven if you’re inclined to feel a bit intrigued about the idea of repopularizing real-life tales of horror in cinema not too distant in between. It even fascinated film critic Peter Debruge in his Variety review of director Anthony Maras’ Hotel Mumbai which, in large part, is aimed at erecting a tale of humanity and heroism in the face of evil.
Highlighting an era in which movies like United ’93 and Steven Spielberg’s Munich are tethered to draw more focus on the success of terroristic plots compared to the heyday glory of guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sean Connery, he makes a pretty good point. Actors Armie Hammer and Dev Patel are far from that particular crop and are placed forthwith in the narrative set in Maras’ new film which, for all intents and purposes, bodes, as The Guardian’s Katey Goh notes, as “an unlikely crowd pleaser”.
At any rate, Toronto was the place to be last Fall to observe Maras’ harrowing debut feature drama which has since garnered an official trailer from Bleecker Street. Check it out above and set the date for March 29, and note the poster just beneath the setup as well which otherwise sits just as haunting and chilling as reviews might suggest.
A gripping true story of humanity and heroism, HOTEL MUMBAI vividly recounts the 2008 siege of the famed Taj Hotel by a group of terrorists in Mumbai, India. Refusing to leave their guests, the renowned chef Hemant Oberoi (Anupam Kher) and a waiter (Academy Award-Nominee Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire) choose to risk their lives to keep everyone safe. As the world watches on, a desperate couple (Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name and Nazanin Boniadi, “Homeland”) is forced to make unthinkable sacrifices to protect their newborn child.
