Tears of the Sun Reviews

I find it surprising (though I suppose that I should not) that this film has received such a low rating among Listal and IMDB users. It's not the first time that a truly great film has not received it's due or, for that matter, an average-or-worse one has had undeserved praise lavishly heaped upon it. Indeed, it happens all too often and, ofttimes, time itself is the only cure.

Tears of the Sun does not center upon more grandiose conflicts as other lauded films of the genre have done; it is not a tale of WWII or the Vietnam Conflict but of a rescue mission in Nigeria, a country torn asunder by civil war, unrest and the atrocities that, inevitably, accompany such actions. Neither does it boast an all-star ensemble cast of heavies. Yet there are familiar faces aplenty here in a cast headed up by the likes of Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci. Cole Hauser, Nick Chinlund, Eamonn Walker and Johnny Messner all play soldiers under the command of Willis; Tom Skerritt and Fionnula Flanagan both appear in relatively brief cameos, as well.

Lt. Waters (Willis) and his squad, though fresh in from the field, are informed by their commanding officer, Capt. Rhodes (Skerritt), that they will be inserted into the Nigerian jungle on a rescue op. Their primary mission, to rescue Dr. Lena Kendricks (Bellucci) and, of secondary import, a priest and two nuns, should they so wish. A limited timetable is afforded them as a force of Nigerian rebels are enroute towards the mission.

Complications immediately arise as the headstrong Dr. Kendricks refuses to leave the refugees in her care, many of which are children. Lt. Waters finally agrees to let the refugees come to the rally point, though only those who can travel under their own power; the grievously injured will have to remain. She agrees yet the priest and nuns choose to stay.

When those assembled reach the extraction point, Dr. Kendricks is outraged to discover that she has been lied to and that the refugees are to be left behind as there is no room for them. Yet as the choppers fly out and, inevitably, over the recently evacuated mission, Waters sees the devastation wrought by the rebel soldiers upon those left there (all of whom are now dead) and has an attack of conscience.

He directs the pilot to turn around and they return to the refugees that were left in the jungle. The children and a few others are placed aboard the choppers as Waters and his squad begin a trek through the jungle to lead the remaining refugees towards the border. Yet they find this to be no easy task as they are relentlessly pursued by rebel forces intent upon reaching the last living survivor of the current regime...who just happens to hide in their midst.

Tears of the Sun is, without a doubt, one of the best war films ever made and one of Willis' best to-date. It is also, however loosely, based upon a real-life mission.

The grim demeanor exhibited by the Seal team is a stark counterpoint to the fear and despair of the refugees; the very-real threat of the rebel soldiers and the atrocities they commit offers a third, however dissident one. The finished product is not unlike a musical score; all finely balanced and executed with interwoven drama and action to provide a truly awesome film.

Director Antoine Fuqua and the production team do an admirable job here depicting the realism of a country in upheaval. Likewise, Willis and the other actors portraying the squad, evince a stoic demeanor of soldiers worn by duty and violence. Yet the enormity of their task, the ensuing complications and the atrocities themselves begin to take a toll on them. It is interesting to observe the gradual shift in the squad's demeanor from soldiers-under-orders to righteous guardians of those in their care.

This is one of Willis' finest hours and the absence of his trademark wit, that seems so commonplace in other of his roles, is not missed here; indeed, it would be irreverently out-of-place. There is nothing to joke about and, though there is emotion aplenty to be had here, comedy has no place.

I find it hard to believe that anyone can watch this and not be affected or drawn in by the portrayals of the actors. The tale presented is masterfully blended with just the right amount of action, drama and stark realism, all of which is captured just so by the cameras.

There's a reason why I never tire of seeing this film; it's just that good.

I wasn't expecting much from this flick but, at least, I thought it would be a decent action movie and since I have a weak spot for Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci, I thought I should give it a try. Honestly, I thought it was one of the most disappointing movies starring Bruce Willis that I have seen so far. My wife did like it and I have definitely seen worse flicks starring Bruce Willis but I thought the whole thing was rather pretentious and pretended to be something it wasn't. What I mean by that is that on one hand, it wants to be a badass action flick like 'Rambo' but, on the other hand, it tries to be more throughtfull hinting at some real events. Eventually, I thought it was a failure in both directions. One other big mistake they made is to deprive Bruce Willis of any kind of sense of humor, so he just looks grim during the whole thing and gives here one of the most one-dimensional and boring performances of his career. I won't even start about Monica Bellucci who was completely underused and actually a distraction ('Look! The poor African natives! No, actually, I'd rather check the hot white doctor instead...'). To conclude, it is not realy bad but it is still a really average action flick and it is not really worth a look, even if you like the genre.