Tears of the Sun (2003)
Awaovieyi Agie, Bruce Willis, Chad Smith, Charles Ingram, Cole Hauser ... (see more) , Eamonn Walker , Fionnula Flanagan , Johnny Messner , Malick Bowens , Mallick Bowens , Monica Bellucci , Nick Chinlund , Paul Francis , Tom Skerritt
Navy SEAL Lieutenant A.K. Waters and his elite squadron of tactical specialists are forced to choose between their duty and their humanity, between following orders by ignoring the conflict that surrounds them, or finding the courage to follow their conscience and protect a group of innocent refugee... (read more) Navy SEAL Lieutenant A.K. Waters and his elite squadron of tactical specialists are forced to choose between their duty and their humanity, between following orders by ignoring the conflict that surrounds them, or finding the courage to follow their conscience and protect a group of innocent refugees. When the democratic government of Nigeria collapses and the country is taken over by a ruthless military dictator, Waters, a fiercely loyal and hardened veteran is dispatched on a routine mission to retrieve a Doctors Without Borders physician, Dr. Lena Kendricks. Dr. Kendricks, an American citizen by marriage, is tending to the victims of the ongoing civil war at a Catholic mission in a remote village. When Waters arrives, however, Dr. Kendricks refuses to leave unless he promises to help deliver the villagers to political asylum at the nearby border. If they are left behind, they will be at the mercy of the enormous rebel army. Waters is under strict orders from his commanding officer Captain Bill Rhodes to remain disengaged from the conflict. But as he and his men witness the brutality of the rebels first-hand, they are won over to Dr. Kendricks' cause and place their lives at risk by agreeing to escort the villagers on a perilous trek through the dense jungle. As they move through the countryside on foot, Waters' team, experts at evasion and concealment, are inexplicably and ferociously pursued by an army of rebels. They are confounded until they discover that, among the refugees, is the sole survivor of the country's previous ruling family, whom the rebels have been ordered to eliminate at all costs. Waters and his small band of soldiers must weigh the life of one man against their own and the refugees they feel obliged to protect.
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R, 1 hr. 58 min.
Directed by:
Antoine Fuqua
Release Date: Mar 07, 2003
DVD Release Date: Jun 10, 2003
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Flixster User Reviews
I think this film didn't know if it wanted to be another "Commando" or "Hotel Rwanda" so got something between the two with Bruce Willis going gung-ho whilst trying to save a Nigerian Village from ethnic cleansing in a race to the Cameroon border fro... (read more) I think this film didn't know if it wanted to be another "Commando" or "Hotel Rwanda" so got something between the two with Bruce Willis going gung-ho whilst trying to save a Nigerian Village from ethnic cleansing in a race to the Cameroon border from the blood thirsty guerillas. More watchable than anticipated.
I thought this was an OK movie even though it is an example of Hollywood at its 'finest'; full of cliched lines and situations, lots of predictability, but behind all this is still a cool story and a very nice final showdown. Otherwise not much actio... (read more) I thought this was an OK movie even though it is an example of Hollywood at its 'finest'; full of cliched lines and situations, lots of predictability, but behind all this is still a cool story and a very nice final showdown. Otherwise not much action or mystery going on even though this is like Black Hawk Down meets Far Cry meets Die Hard in terms of what you get. Still a nice watch, but not the best war movie out there obviously.
I absolutely LOVED this movie. Very, very, very good. Actually no, it's beyond good...it's great. The storyline is awesome, the acting is first class, the HEART of the whole thing just touches home. I very highly recommend this to everyone.
First time I saw it I thought it was all thrills and not much substance, but upon seeing it the second time it made more sense. It is a composite of several events in Africa which repeat themselves too often. It pulls at our conscience that we can... (read more) First time I saw it I thought it was all thrills and not much substance, but upon seeing it the second time it made more sense. It is a composite of several events in Africa which repeat themselves too often. It pulls at our conscience that we can stand by and let all this happen, but there is often little we can do about it.
Very graphic violence. Bruce Willis is, as usual, a good actor. Special features on latest DVD are actually quite instructive.
Much better than I expected. I thought it was going to be a cross between Black Hawk Down and the Delta Force. It was not. It was the first film I could think of that brought some attention to the strife in West Africa after decolonization, Blood Dia... (read more) Much better than I expected. I thought it was going to be a cross between Black Hawk Down and the Delta Force. It was not. It was the first film I could think of that brought some attention to the strife in West Africa after decolonization, Blood Diamond and the Last King of Scotland being others that came several years later. For that, it should be commended since war-torn Africa is often overlooked by the media and the general public alike. Bruce Willis was not anything special and neither was Monica Bellucci but she is still hot. Good pacing and worth seeing.
Critic Reviews
Fuqua ... can stage action, but he can't save a trivializing, reactionary script featuring a Hollywood star (read America) as a global savior.full review
The movie might have gotten a dramatic boost from its topical theme, indirect as it is. Unfortunately, it's not one-tenth as interesting as what you can see at home during a nightly cable surf as U.S. war policy is debated.full review
The audience's tears are more likely to result from boredom, irritation at Hans Zimmer's wretched fake-world-music score and inadvertent amusement at the thunderously earnest dialogue and Ms. Bellucci's awkward line readings.full review
Until it descends into mindless routine action in the climactic scenes, Tears of the Sun is essentially an impressionistic nightmare ...full review
Can Bruce Willis save Africa from the Africans? Not in Antoine Fuqua's overwrought, blood-drenched fable of bogus Hollywood heroism, he can't.full review
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