Hotel Mumbai is brutal, unflinching and stays with you for some time

DEV PATEL stars in this emotional portrayal of the Mumbai terrorist attack and siege of the Taj Mahal hotel.

This well-directed movie is a confident debut from Anthony Maras but a tough watch at times.

It is a horrible sequence, compounded by the knowledge that the real events were probably even worse.

Shown through the eyes of Dev’s character, Arjun – a waiter at the hotel – it unfolds like a traditional disaster movie, before unfurling into an exploration of character, bravery and what was an 80-hour nightmare leaving at least 31 people dead.

For all its great moments it has tinkered with reality. A swathe of the characters – such as Jason Isaacs’ seedy Russian oligarch Vasili or Armie Hammer’s privileged David – are “amalgamations” of real people.

I understand the necessity for this, but it pulls me out – I wondered how much has been unnecessarily fictionalised.

It will inevitably draw criticism. Is it exploiting events that, having happened only in 2008, still feel too raw?

I say no. While the film is brutal and unflinching, we should see these cowardly events in the unfiltered horror with which they occurred.

This is a bold, decent film that will, quite rightly, stay with you for some time.

Hotel Mumbai (15) 123mins

★★★☆☆