fbpx

HOTEL MUMBAI

"A Tragic Event That Deserved Better"

NoneLightModerateHeavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

Watch:

What You Need To Know:

HOTEL MUMBAI is a thriller from India about the horrendous 2008 terrorist attacks that occurred at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and all across Mumbai, India. The movie follows people seeking refuge in the hotel as Muslim terrorists kill anyone in their path. Two parents are separated from their child, and many hotel staff members put their lives on the line to save the hotel guests.

HOTEL MUMBAI is a tragic movie. The intensity begins fairly quickly and doesn’t let up until the end. Sadly, the characters lack depth. For a movie where most of the characters introduced are brutally murdered, a better resolution was very much needed and would have been greatly appreciated. The worldview is all over the place in HOTEL MUMBAI. There are both nods and rebukes to false religions like Islam and Sikhism, as well as a few Christian symbols and positive biblical, moral virtues. None of it comes together cohesively in the end, however. Finally, HOTEL MUMBAI has lots of graphic violence and a slightly excessive amount of foul language. MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution for HOTEL MUMBAI.

Content:

(PaPa, FR, H, BB, C, LLL, VVV, S, N, A, MM):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:
Strong mixed pagan worldview with many references to Muslim faith (mostly reflected negatively because of the Jihadists), a main character who’s Sikh, and a few humanist rebukes against all prayer, but with some positive elements include characters that show courage, self-sacrifice, and fathers and mothers protecting their families, plus a few Christian symbols are seen, including a picture of Jesus

Foul Language:
24 obscenities (mostly “f” words) and a few profanities

Violence:
Extreme graphic violence, many people are gunned down, shot point blank, left bleeding on the floor, man is brutally beaten up, explosions kill many more, a man jumps out a window to survive

Sex:
It’s mentioned that a couple had a child out of wedlock, a married couple kiss, and a man makes a call to have two prostitutes sent to him, and he asks about their breasts

Nudity:
Upper male nudity, and woman takes a shower and strips to her underwear

Alcohol Use:
Alcohol use

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:
No smoking or drugs; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:
Some characters are cowards, class snobbery and obsequious behavior occurs, and a woman makes a racist statement.

More Detail:

HOTEL MUMBAI is a thriller about the horrendous Muslim terrorist attacks that took place at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and all across Mumbai, India in 2008.

The movie opens with ten Muslim men entering the city and spreading throughout Mumbai to plan several attacks at once. At the Taj Hotel, David and Zahra are a newly married couple with a young baby arriving at the hotel for a vacation. David, an American, and Zahra, an Indian, are very wealthy and have a beautiful suite at the hotel. One of the staff at the hotel is Arjun (Dev Patel), a young man with a young family who’s working hard to provide for his family.

On this particular day, Arjun has forgotten his nice work shoes. His boss, the world renown chef Hemant Oberoi nearly forces Arjun to go home for the day for making such a mistake, but decides to let him borrow an extra pair of shoes in his office. Chef Hemant expects nothing but perfection from his hotel staff, frequently reminding them of their moto, “Guest is god.”

David and Zahra arrive at their suite and leave their little baby with the nanny in the room, so they can enjoy dinner together. About this time, the attacks from the Islamic terrorists start to take place around the city. It doesn’t take long for four gunmen to begin shooting people mercilessly around the hotel, which erupts in chaos.

Can David get to the nanny and his baby in their room without getting killed? Can Arjun protect the guests in his care from the attackers?

HOTEL MUMBAI is truly a tragic movie. The intensity begins fairly quickly and doesn’t let up until the end. Writer/Director Anthony Maras skillfully coordinates the chaos and carnage of what happened. What’s missing, however, is a strong connection to the individuals who experienced the events. While you hope every one of the victims survive, many, if not most of the real-life characters portrayed, deserved more depth. For a movie where most of the characters introduced are brutally murdered, a better resolution was very much needed and would have been greatly appreciated.

One of the biggest problems is a sense of classism that seems to stay throughout the story. The motivation of telling the story is clearly to honor the many Taj Hotel staff members who stayed to help the guests trapped inside the hotel, when they could’ve likely escaped. This bravery is extremely touching. What’s jarring, though, is that amid all the chaos of the attacks, many of the staff are still waiting on the rich guests. At one point after finding refuge in a secured room from the attackers, one of the guests asks for a cocktail drink from the staff, and the staff maintains a posture of serving the guests no matter what, because “guest is god” in their mind. This lack of common humanity in an equal struggle for survival is hard to stomach, even if it’s realistic to the actual events.

The worldview is all over the place in HOTEL MUMBAI. While the attackers are very clearly Muslim, multiple characters flat out reject the prayers offered to them from other Muslims. Arjun is also a Sikh and discusses his religion briefly. At another point, the movie shows a picture of Jesus on the wall and a cross. One woman who’s a non-practicing Muslim saves her life by praying to Allah and ultimately convincing the young Muslim Jihadist not to kill her. While the ultimate villain is Islamic Jihadism, the movie mostly focuses on the triumph of the human spirit in a humanistic way. Sadly, the orchestrator of the attacks still hasn’t been caught.

Besides extreme, graphic violence, HOTEL MUMBAI has a slightly excessive amount of foul language. MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution. HOTEL MUMBAI should have been a better tribute to the victims of the heinous 2008 attack in India by Muslim terrorists.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Watch SHOW ME THE FATHER
Quality: - Content: +4
Watch THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
Quality: - Content: +3