Hotel Mumbai (2018) User Reviews

Powerful and gripping from start to finish

[powderuk · 8/10 · 7 June 2019]

This film had me hooked from the start. I recall these events playing out on Sky News, BBC, CNN etc, so I had a good understanding of what was to come. But I have to say it was brilliantly produced and acted, I felt I was there. The tension watching this film was pretty extreme, I found myself getting very angry.

There aren't many films that involve action or violence I would warn against watching. Because this film does such a good job of portraying what happened, it can be very tough viewing in many scenes.

By the way, the negative reviews here - don't believe them.There are some out there who will vote this down for reasons you will understand if you watch it. The film is brilliant, period.

Powerful story

[forevertiago · 8/10 · 9 June 2019]

Recommend you to get some time and watch Mumbai Hotel. A truly great movie with an excellent International cast. And Dev Patel. Superb. Also, another great Aussie production by Screen Australia and partners. 👋👋👋

Were the other reviewers here watching the same movie I was?

[btmichaud · 8/10 · 8 October 2019]

No one should ever expect any movie about such a carnage to follow the actual events in real time. Estimates are that nearly 60 died at the train station (shown first in the movie) and more than 30 perished at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Although the train station event could have better represented in this film, the segue to the situation at the Taj was fairly seamless and leaves the viewer with little to ponder. What follows is nothing short of gripping, as ordinary people face extraordinary situations just to stay alive. The screenplay license taken by the film's makers shows in vivid (often horrendous) detail the scope of the attacks on innocent people by this group of terrorists. I don't think anyone who lived through this event can quarrel with the realism portrayed in the film, let alone the outcome. I found this movie to be fine cinema and I watched it twice before returning it to Red Box. I don't regret watching it a second time. Strongly recommended, but be prepared for a lot of blood and violence.

Intense film

[cakecum · 10/10 · 3 April 2019]

Not sure why some people found this movie Boring, it's a very intense, realistic and gritty film to watch. The acting was done well. Kudos to the director !!

It's a true story

[andreamojo · 10/10 · 6 April 2019]

I dislike much of the reviews here. If you cant deal with watching a story of a horrific event, then dont. You know straight up front what your getting into. It's a terrible tragic situation. Yes it's frustrating watching people react that gets them killed. But we weren't there and aren't in their shoes to say we would do differently. They are afraid and desperate for a chance. The movie does a great job of telling a story and making you feel the emotions of what happened. It's awful, but that doesnt make the movie awful. There are scenes that are hard to watch. It's a great eye opener for what our world has come too and what is probably in store again. I look at it as an educational piece of history. Its intense and a must see.

Typical, formulaic Hollywood revisionism

[hddu10-819-37458 · 5 July 2019]

For the true accounts of exactly what happened at Hotel Mumbai (and around the city) during the terrorist attacks, watch any one of the many documentaries available. This is just a fantasy version trying to mix "Die Hard" with "hotel Rwanda". It's bad. Of course, because it was marketed to American audiences they had to have an American protagonist who has to show an act of bravery...but not enough to actually result in anything, since that would prompt people to look him up and realize there were no Americans killed during the Hotel siege. And there has to be a "western" muslim to balance out the terrorists to show "see? They're not ALL like that!" And while this character was portrayed as a hot, rich Persian chick, the reality is she was a dumpy, old turk (and her husband); both atheists/secular who quickly pretended to be muslim (the woman put her sash around her head) to show the terrorists "look! don't kill us! We're one of you!!!!" and subsequently lived.

Yes, gang, the reality is far more horrible and there really were very few heroes or likeable characters at all...save the waiter and head chef portrayed who really did help many to safety. If you have nothing else to do (i.e. are on an airplane) then fine, watch it (that's how I saw it). But don't expect much.

Tense and taut, Hotel Mumbai is a gripping thriller

[eddie_baggins · 7/10 · 17 June 2019]

It's never an easy task making a feature film of an horrific real life event, here in Hotel Mumbai the dramatization of the 2008 terror attacks that shook the country of millions and the world, but Australian director Anthony Maras manages the tricky balance of making a film that educates viewers about this terrible occurrence, while also shining a light on the many heroic actions that brought out the best of humanity in an otherwise dark and evil time.

Instead of trying to encapsulate all of the terror that took place in Mumbai during these events, Maras instead focuses mostly on the horror that unfolded in the renowned and upmarket Taj Hotel, filled with guests and staff from all over the world, who were facing a battle for their lives for a number of hours as gun toting and grenade wielding extremists infiltrated their grounds and acted out a bloodthirsty and cowardly planned attack on the facility.

By doing this Maras is able to build up a number of different characters we begin very early on to care for, from Dev Patel's kindly staff member Arjun, Anupam Kher's head chef Oberoi, Nazanin Boniadi's and Armie Hammer's newly married couple Zahra and David and Tilda Cobham-Hervey's nanny Sally, all of whom are based on real life victims of the attacks or a combination of real people that found themselves in the hotel on that fateful day.

In doing so Hotel Mumbai finds an almost constant feeling of tension and unease as these people we've got to know find themselves face to face with the very worst kind of religious violence, mindless and unwavering in its blood-lust and Maras handles the expansive cast and more close quarters confinement of the horrific attack with aplomb as he covers all bases of the incident.

Wisely for the film we also get to spend time with the man behind the murderous plight, while they are showcased as what could be perceived to be the generic version of a Muslim terrorist, its unfortunately just how it was as these brainwashed men (or really teenagers) believed they were more than justified and within their rights to enter into the sacred grounds of Indian soil to unleash their hell on earth for its unsuspecting citizens.

There are moments in Hotel Mumbai that feel a little forced and out of place, moments of dialogue that are a little heavy handed or character actions that scream big screen box ticking (people moving out of hiding spots for no good reason or unbelievable shootouts) but overall much of Hotel Mumbai provides a hold your breath like insight into a terrible day in Indian and world history and a reminder to us all of the often amazing human bravery that shines forth in such dark moments.

Final Say -

A confronting and unwavering feature length look at one of India's darkest days, Hotel Mumbai is an impressive Australian backed production that acts as a taut and tense thriller and an insightful exploration of a true life terror.

3 ½ pairs of work shoes out of 5

Had me from start to finish

[Robin-435 · 10/10 · 8 June 2019]

I presume all those one star reviews are just spammer trollers.

This movies is gripping from start to finish. Great acting and great characters. My only gripe is that in Mumbai was there only 6 policemen. No nearby army units etc...

Brutally tense but such stupid people

[piggulu · 6/10 · 3 April 2019]

One the one hand, it is a very powerful drama. As the violence escalates, so does the suspense, and the interspersing of real news footage from the actual event (I assume) is a nice touch.

But besides the main characters being uninteresting, I've never seen a more stupid bunch! I can't speak from any personal tragedy to what I would do in such a situation, so I mean no disrespect to survivors of extreme violence, but these people act so irrationally that you'll feel like they deserve it. Some just boldly make their presence known instead of remaining in hiding and waiting for the coast to clear. There are seemingly plenty of unwatched back exits (a handful of cops eventually enter through one), but the victims decide the best course of action is to flee across the hotel from one room to another. In the meantime, a couple of gunmen are going down hallways, knocking on the doors and subsequently shooting the occupants when opened. Apparently no one can hear the stream of gunshots outside, but can immediately respond to gentle rapping at their door. And since peepholes don't seem to exist, it's common courtesy to just blindly open the door to strangers without inquiring their identity/purpose beforehand.

A MUST!!!

[dmkamj · 10/10 · 23 May 2019]

Hotel Mumbai is the movie no one is talking about but EVERYONE should see!!! Have you ever heard of attacks in Mumbai, India, in 2008, when over 170 people were killed? Exactly. We don't know anything that's going on not under our nose. Amazing movie. Sadly based on the true events. I warn you: you will have a hard time trying to find a minute to go to toilet. MUST.

true and frightening

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 29 March 2019]

Greetings again from the darkness. A group of quiet and focused young men with backpacks arrive by boat and then split into taxis. We hear the calm voice being fed into their ear buds. The voice assures them that "God is with you" and "Paradise awaits." Of course, since this is based on true events from 2008, we know the horror that is about to be unleashed by these terrorists (more than 170 killed).

This is the first feature film from writer-director Anthony Maras, and with his co-writer John Collee (MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD, 2003), we are taken to CST, the train station which is one of the 12 terrorist targets. Actual footage is mixed in, leaving no doubt as to the panic and violence that unfolded. As the individuals in the group divide into their well-orchestrated terrorist teams, we flash to the morning routine at a nearby home. Arjun (Dev Patel) is frantically getting prepared for work before heading to his pregnant wife's place of work. He is dropping off their young child since the sitter was a no-show.

Arjun is part of the staff at the prestigious Taj Mahal Hotel Palace, affectionately referred to as "The Taj". The service is impeccable ... to the point of checking the temperature of bath water for one of the guests. Those who stay here are accustomed to and demanding of the very finest. However, on this stay, they will experience the sharp contrast of ultimate luxury and raw terror. As viewers, our guts sense the feeling of dread, even as the hotel managers and staff are welcoming arriving guests such as a retired Russian Special Forces officer turned wealthy playboy (Jason Isaacs) and newlyweds David (Armie Hammer) and Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi, "Homeland"), along with their newborn baby and nanny Sally (Tilda Cobham-Hervey).

As the cold-blooded attack is carried out by the terrorists at The Taj, we witness so many innocent people mowed down with precision - some execution style. Many hotel guests find hiding spots, including an exclusive club in the heart of the hotel. The staff, including Arjun and renowned Chef Hermant Oberoi (Anupam Kher), courageously try to survive while also protecting the guests. David and Zahra get separated from each other and from their baby, leaving the nanny desperately trying to keep the oft-crying infant from being heard.

We also witness the local police - undermanned, under-armed, under-trained - try their best to defuse the situation, knowing that Special Forces are "hours away". Courage is on display throughout the film, but this is no Jason Bourne or John McClane scenario. These are cooks and waiters and hotel guests caught in one of the most frightening situations imaginable.

For cinematic effect, the attack seems to take place over the course of a single night, whereas the actual events were over 3 days, resulting in 31 deaths at The Taj. The level of tension is maintained throughout ... it's a well-made thriller centered on actual events and real people. The filmmakers seem to go out of their way to avoid any political, social or religious commentary or insight. We only know the terrorists are told to take American prisoners and "Go and do Jihad". It's described as "indiscriminate terror" and that they are reclaiming what has been taken from them over the years. It is a difficult film to watch, though we understand there will always be bad people doing bad things for what they believe are the right reasons. Fortunately, there will also always be courageous and good people. More than once we hear the staff mention "Guest is God" ... but not all of these guests were welcome.

Forget the negatives! Be sure to see it!

[mikialama · 9/10 · 13 April 2019]

Can't figure out why this film has such negative reviews here! A large group of us went to see it, and afterwards, all were positively breathless and exhausted from the non-stop intensity of the film. It moved several of us to tears and we all agreed it could be an award winner! The actors, including Dev Patel, Anupam Kher, Nazanin Boniadi, Jason Issacs, Armie Hammer were excellent. There was not one moment that didn't have all riveted, both by the pathos of the individual stories as well as the excellent and effective direction of action sequences! Though not Indian, I am still well-acquainted with the fact that many films and documentaries have been made on this subject and have seen many of them. This one holds its own! Also, having stayed in Taj properties allows one to agree that "Guest is God" is indeed the supreme mantra there. The true fact that over half of those who were there at Taj Palace at during the horrific attack were real-life employee heroes who stayed to help guests is a story well-worth repetition. It's also is a testament not only to the sincerity of that maxim, but to courage and determination often present in much of Indian culture in general-fierce even when pitted against insurmountable odds. Highly recommend this film, particularly for westerners new to the story.

Brutal

[steve-dawkins · 6/10 · 20 March 2019]

Be prepared. This movie is a little too close to reality. People were leaving the cinema as it was so brutal. Really not sure why this movie was not pulled after what happened in New Zealand

Not rialistic

[falkhatib · 2/10 · 30 January 2021]

An exaggerated non realistic racial film in a unacceptable way

To understand the devil, you have to look into his eyes

[kluseba · 10/10 · 10 April 2019]

There are few movies that have moved me as much as Hotel Mumbai. Based upon true events, it shows how Pakistani Islamist terrorists attack numerous locations in the Indian metropolis of Mumbai. The showdown takes places in the prestigious Taj Mahal Palace Hotel where personnel and guests fight for survival.

The film offers a short and concise introduction that gives us an idea how the terrorists proceed to attack as many places as possible to assassinate as many victims as they could. We are also introduced to numerous characters that will end up in the hotel from a rich family over escaping backpackers to a dedicated server from a poor neighbourhood. The events in the hotel start taking place about thirty minutes into the film and the following ninety minutes are filled with incredible tension, brutal acts of violence and an oppressive atmosphere of despair. The film only slows down in the final few minutes that offer a brief tearjerking conclusion. Once the credits roll, the audience will be shook and speechless.

This movie is a statement against terror by showing how incredibly devastating such acts are. In its intensity, it reminds of Roman Polanski's The Pianist which portrays the horrors of the Holocaust best. Hotel Mumbai is so brutal, intense and thrilling that it shouldn't be watched by children or teenagers but only by adults with a very strong stomach. Despite the obvious violence, the movie is equally emotional and intellectual. The audience empathizes with the desperate victims. The conclusion leads us to think that no other species in the world does as much harm to its own kind than human beings do to one another. The only way to stop such horrible actions is through peaceful education. Ironically, this honest movie contributes to such peaceful education by exposing such sickening degrees of violence. In order to understand the devil, you have to look into his eyes.

Great film. Ignore the 1/10 reviews, the page has been hijacked!

[ritchieswailes · 10/10 · 2 December 2020]

There is obviously a concerted effort to score down the film. Presumably as it depicts the actions of Islamic fundamentalists. It's a good film. Good acting. Tense. Gritty action sequences

Based on Pure Fiction & Drama

[shirjil · 9 June 2019]

They over sensationalised it and lots of stuff is just drama added by the writers. This is by no means based on true events rather just a boring and over dramatised bollywood movie.

Hard to stomach, even harder to forget

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 3 April 2019]

"Hotel Mumbai" (2018 release from Australia; 125 min.) is a movie about the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. As the movie opens, we are reminded the film is "Based on True Events" and we are informed it is "November 26, 2008, Mumbia, India", as we see 10 guys in a Zodiac boat about to arrive in Mumbai. Meanwhile, we see a guy getting ready for work, as a staff member of the famous Taj Hotel. Arriving at the Taj is a celebrity couple and their young son and the nanny. They are treated like royalty. Meanwhile the gang of 10 is disbursing to various sites in Mumbai. Two of them arrive at the overcrowded CST Train Station in South Mumbai, and before we know it, they start firing in the crowds. At this point we are 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the feature-length debut of Australian director Anthony Maras. Here he brings exactly what happened in the infamous Mumbai terrorist attacks (in plural). While I generally knew about his (mostly as it relates to what happened at the Taj Hotel), I didn't know much about the rest of it. Frankly, it is shocking to see it playing out as it did. First and foremost, I can't even put into words how shocking and sickening it is to see these cold-blooded murderers kill so many innocent people in such a savage way. It makes this movie hard to stomach, and at one point I almost left the theater. But ultimately I decided to stick it out, and I'm glad I did. The real heroes are a handful of brave men who decide to stand up against the terrorists and try and protect the hotel guests as best they can. The ineptitude of the Mumbai police and Indian special forces is as shocking as it is infuriating. Beware: in addition to the multiple execution-style killings, the movie contains quite a bit of hand-held camera footage. Maras does a great job of conveying the sense of panic which rose in the streets of Mumbai. Dev Patel plays Arjun, the Taj Hotel staff member, with the grace and dignity that we are used of him. The only other "big name' in this production is Armie Hammer, playing one of the hotel guests. Also noteworthy is the excellent original score, courtesy of Volker Bertelmann (a/k/a Hauschka). Last but not least: not a single mention is made in the movie that this terrorist group came from Pakistan, and that these terrorist attacks brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war. This historical revisionism is simply inexcusable.

"Hotel Mumbai" premiered at last Fall's Toronto International Film Festival, and is now getting a limited theater release. The movie opened this past weekend on a handful of screens for all of Greater Cincinnati. The Wednesday early screening where I saw this at was attended by exactly 2 people (myself included). Even though this is a good movie (in the technical and quality sense), I honestly cannot see this playing very long in the theater. For that the movie is too hard to stomach and even harder to forget. Maybe this will gain a larger audience when the movie is released on other platforms. Of course I encourage you to check it out, be it in the theater (while you still can), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

What a movie!

[Ioana1717 · 10/10 · 17 April 2019]

There is no boring in this movie. This movie is full of suspense, overturning situations - you can not actually leave the cinema because you actually lose the sequence of events. An excellent film. Do not miss this movie!

A real intense film

[sala151183 · 7/10 · 8 June 2019]

I waited what seemed quite along time for this film to finally come out and now it's here I finally watched an intense film. I wonder how much of the film is Fiction because some parts of the film felt a little Americanised, maybe this is what I felt slightly let the film down. Hotel Mumbai was a good film with Dev Petal and Armie Hammer who both are wonderful acting talents and in this film they deliver solid performances. I'm glad I watched it, opened my eyes to a real life horror and just showing how powerful film can be.

Difficult to watch but it's a good movie 👍

[julius_willis · 9/10 · 5 April 2019]

This movie is difficult to watch because of some of the terrible things that happen in the story but I can recommend it because the performances were strong and the pacing/storytelling captured the tension throughout. You will come out a little different after seeing this film. 👍

Too Real To Be Entertaining

[JackCerf · 6/10 · 29 April 2019]

Well made but ultimately disappointing because it defies the expectations for this kind of movie. John McClane never shows up, and we aren't even given the kind of desperate, suicidal resistance of the passengers in United 93. Instead, the characters with which the American audience identifies -- which is to say the rich, mostly Western, mostly white ones -- behave all too much like real life. They sneak about in fear and confusion, and when caught by the frighteningly well supplied murderers, they are either killed outright or herded about passively at gunpoint. The only act of defiance by one is late and futile. The guests who survive do so mostly by chance or by slipping out the back way pointed out by the Indian staff.

The movie does make the young murderers seem human without "humanizing" them. Through the cell phone voice of their commander safe in Pakistan, we are never in any doubt that they are driven by seething resentment and have been thoroughly taught to see all non-Muslims as subhumans to be killed without remorse. Nonetheless, small bits of business show them to be all too believable young men rather than robots. One plays a practical joke on his partner involving room service food. Another is such a puritan that, despite his commander's orders, he can't bring himself to put his hand inside the bra of a woman he has murdered in order to retrieve her identity papers. A third calls his family on the cell phone -- they are proud of what he is doing, he is concerned that they haven't yet been paid the money they were promised for him doing it. We are reminded that they are all too human.

This is a "must-see" movie in my opinion

[pmcwalter-361-235240 · 10/10 · 17 April 2019]

It was a fantastic movie about a hideous event. Extremely violent, but considering it's based on a true event, it's understandable and was within expectations. Bear in mind it was a most inhumane act of atrocities but was all about the humanity that prevails in situations like this. They managed the cinematography to avoid "direct gore", but rather show it as "off camera" horror that didn't need to be seen in its worse way. I was impressed overall in every aspect on the how it was portrayed and despite the violence, it still was a "feel good" movie in its entirety. I give it 2 full thumbs up! 👍👍

something is missing

[gururug · 6/10 · 4 February 2020]

Great movie. i'm unable to put my finger on it but there is something hollow about it. on a production level... it's not B grade, the writing, acting, camera... are all fine... yet the immediacy is not there...

perhaps they tried to over characterise... and part of that was a deliberate choice to over sanitize... shallow and distant. not such a problem for a first viewing... but it's not a movie you could re-watch and feel a second time.

A disgrace

[lankyalun · 2/10 · 14 January 2021]

This was a film comprised of an hour and a half of executions by terrorists with AK47'S. Hollywood version of a real terrorist attack that should have shown a lot more respect. Subtlety is nowhere to be seen here.