Tears of the Sun [Blu-ray] Reviews

• John McCain: Navy SEAL?

  
  By A1F6DHVFE1ZIXX on 2003-03-21
  Tears of the Sun is more than what the trailers make it out to be. It's not your normal action movie, meaning the plot isn't just an excuse to have lots of things blow up. The story focuses more on the internal struggles of Willis's character than anything else. If you watched the trailer and were hoping for Die Hard 4: The African Edition, you will be sorely disappointed.

  The plot revolves around a mission by US Navy SEALs to go into a hostile area of Nigeria and rescue an American doctor. The doctor (Monica Bellucci) is living at Mission, taking care of sick and dying Nigerians. Getting the doctor out is only a minor hassle, the real trouble begins when Willis' characters internal struggles of following orders vs. doing what is right get the best of him and he decides to try and save all the Nigerian patients. From there all hell breaks loose and there are a few surprises before the end.

  As I said before, this is not your normal action movie. It doesn't go gonzo on the special effects and explosions, but obviously this is a war movie and there is plenty of violence near the end. The thing is, by the time people do start dying, you will care. On a side note, there are several parts of the movie that are unrealistic (the main one being a Navy SEAL going against explicit orders from his commanding officer), but these can be easily forgiven and overlooked.

  The combat depicted is on par with the best recent war movies, such as Black Hawk Down and We Were Soldiers. It's very realistic. The "grand finale" battle at the end is a pretty intense 30 minutes, and is best experienced at a theater with good sound. Overall, this is a very satisfying movie that is worth the exorbitant ticket prices these days.
  
  

• Tears [of the Sun]

  
  By A2KTHPGHWB8BUU on 2003-03-10
  Tears of the Sun brings Bruce Willis back to the rebel-with-a-cause-and-a-big-gun role. This isn't a date movie. Lots of guerrilla combat, lots of blood and a subplot that is revealed only well into the movie -- and I won't spoil it for you. If the basic plot is nothing new, the film comes together very well, and it outclasses a lot of other action flicks.

  Willis (as Lt. Waters) leads his men into Nigeria to rescue an American doctor. In a fit of conscience, after having achieved his mission, Waters orders his choppers to return so that he can rescue the band of doomed refugees. We feel good about that. Especially after seeing what the Nigerian rebels did to the hospital after Waters and company evacuated. If you accept that a special forces lieutenant would disobey orders and follow his conscience, the rest of the story unfolds well.

  Visually, Tears of the Sun is a stunner. You will feel as though you spent a couple of hours in the rain forest. Some of the gorier scenes look like the sort of thing that might be omitted from news coverage of such events, but it was enough for me. The pace is intense -- not much time spent chatting around the campfire. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the military operations, but Willis is very credible in this role, and realism tends to win out over dramatic licence. At least until the final sequences.

  If you like action films with at least a layer of human interest, you will probably enjoy Tears of the Sun. It falls short only in the ways most desperation mission movies do -- some narrow escapes that require us to be grateful for our heroes without overanalyzing. ... But the overall writing is quite good. ...

  Tears of the Sun may not be the film of the year, but it holds together well and kept the audience absorbed. It shows American soldiers as capable, confident and caring. That's a good image, and one that sends you home thinking that our men and women in uniform can do a lot of good.
  
  

• Tears of the Sun is well worth seeing

  
  By on 2003-03-10
  Tears of the Sun is a first class war movie in the realistic style of Black Hawk Down. The plot centers on a mission by US Navy SEALs to rescue an American doctor at a mission in Nigeria during a civil war.
  Bruce Willis stars as the officer commanding the SEAL detachment. He and the other actors potraying SEALs received training from real SEALs and, therefore, come across as authentic instead of the usual Hollywood portayal of speical operators as undiscplined psychopaths.
  The level of violence in this movie is high as expected in a war movie, but it is never exaggerated or cartoonish. Neither is it included just to keep the excitement level up. Instead, violence is portrayed as the inevitable product of war and is shown realistically as real human suffering.
  The movie is very tightly edited and moves quickly. There are no long periods of chatter and no padding. The movie gets right into the story it intends to tell and moves along quickly. I was surprised when the movie ended that 2 hours had actually passed.
  The battle scenes are clearly the product of some considerable effort at realism. The good guys are not invincible and the bad guys are not incompetent. Weapons effects are realistic, not exaggerated. Wounds are authentically gory, but not overdone for effect's sake.
  In conclusion. Tears of the Sun attempts to paint a believeable picture of believable human beings in a frightening and brutal situation. It is one of the finest war movies I have seen and I recommend it highly to anyone who likes the genre.
  
  

• Evil will triumph when good men do nothing

  
  By A57Q87B0TC9IJ on 2003-04-24
  Director Antoine Fuqua never realized how timely his tale would be. Tears of the Sun is yet another war movie, but it is put together well, plus it delivers a strong message without being preachy.

  Bruce Willis takes on a new direction (ok, he doesn't) as Lt. AK Waters, a hardened, war-weary commander sent to rescue an American doctor in the jungles of Nigeria. His by-the-book approach to his mission becomes tested after witnessing the atrocities committed against the unarmed townspeople and the missionaries with them. Waters later discovers there is a lot more at stake than simply the mission and his men.

  The real scene-stealer is Monica Belluci as Doctor Lena Kendricks. Taking the new #1 spot on my 'most beautiful' list, I fear she may have been miscast simply for the fact that she's so damn good-looking I couldn't pay attention to the movie. The photography is spectacular, the action scenes are riveting, and Hans Zimmer's masterful composition enhances the movie perfectly.

  A lot of criticism has been leveled at this movie for being jingoistic, probably because the commandos are actually competent. Others focused on the supposed love interest between Willis and Belluci. I'm not sure these criticisms are even relevant, but I will say that the make-up work (especially in the finale) borders on halloween funny. Regardless, if you can look past this and the all too familiar cast, (right down to Tom Skerritt as the "Captain"), you'll agree that the moral dilemma presented by Fuqua is forcefully and powerfully delivered, even if you don't necessarily agree with the decisions made.
  
  

• Decent action flick

  
  By ATQTE464YAZM1 on 2003-10-20
  "Tears of the Sun" tries to be a big commentary on the plight of Africa, and in some instances it does do that. You get to see the execution of civilians and the persecutions and violations of missionaries, civilians, and otherwise unarmed, unthreatening individuals...events that are altogether too real, especially in areas such as the Congo today.

  However, it does suffer in overdramatizing some parts or just drawing things out. Monica Belucci's character was really annoying, and in the middle of the movie I think Bruce and the gang should have left her for the Nigerian commandos and kept the civilians....

  REGARDS TO THE DVD --

  The notes on Africa are fun to watch, as long as you have some free time. My dad and I watched this movie the whole way through then watched it again muted and with the little pop-ups coming up.

  The good news is that you learn some facts about Africa and the crisis involved in many nations and some of the recent events that "Tears of the Sun" speaks about.

  The bad news is two-fold: it goes into heavy detail about women being raped to the point where you can only imagine they're making up facts. Also, my father is military background and found a few errors in the notes' input:

  -- The SEALS were the *Navy* equivalent to the Green Berets, not the *Marine*. Maybe thats why they're called the Navy SEALS...
  -- The operation in the movie is called an NEO and not an NCO. NEO stands for Non-combatant Evacuation Operation. NCO stands for Non-Commissioned Officer.
  
  

• Will have Hollywood up in arms
  By A3QJU4FEN8PQSZ on 2003-03-10
  13 out of 15 found this review helpful. (I added a sentence or two and the votes were reset.)

  As expected, critics are upset at the film's slightly pro-American view ("balanced" with hints of the darker side, of course). Hollywood.com's reviewer was apparently grinding his?her? teeth so much he couldn't even understand the dialogue:

  "When someone points out a potential problem with his strategy, for example, Waters replies, "There are lots of possible scenarios and I don't presume to know them all." What great military man would put himself and his men at such risk without considering all the consequences?"

  But Waters was responding to the doctor's plea that if they left, the villagers would be killed. His response, above, was simply a cop-out which neither of them believed - nothing to do with what the reviewer supposes. The real complaint these reviewers have is this that (gasp) American soldiers, for all their flaws, are portrayed as heroes:

  "... the blind patriotism we are spoon-fed towards the end makes this film a little hard to swallow."

  The "blind patroitism" must refer to the refugees' tears and cries of eternal gratitude for the courageous sacrifice that has bought their very lives. And that's the essence of the cries of "too simplistic," "propaganda," "jingoistic" - which is code for "I am upset that this film does not portray American soldiers as mentally deranged, pot-smoking, homicidal, genocidal, racist, trigger-happy scum of the earth." We are not given any backstory to explain that the murderous rebels were driven to their life of hatred because their parents couldn't afford to get them "Boggle" when they were kids, or any such "evenhandedness." Fuqua presents viewers with the stark reality of evil, not the evil of war. He asks us, if we should not intervene in the face of such evil, when should we? If our military cannot be used to overturn such gross inhumanity, what good are we as a nation? This would make any anti-war type squirm.

  What did I think? It's intense, brutal, frustrating, and strangely un/sentimental. Willis portrays a thoroughly professional soldier dedicated to carrying out missions to the letter. He makes a thoroughly professional decision to extract only his designated "target" - which leads to the uninhibited slaughter of the village where she worked (unsentimental). (The fact that the movie's scenario has Muslims brutalizing Christians - unfortunately not a purely fantastical scenario but one which is being played out today worldwide - will also raise cries of fury and disdain. Of course, if it were the other way around, there would be no complaints. Aren't these critics starting to sicken you, too?)

  Waters responds to the good doctor in a way that we would naturally see as unfeeling, even inhuman; but later we see that she has also made a foolish calculation. The refugees' gratitude for Waters' intervention may be interpreted as sentimental, but it's deeper than that. The soldiers are heroes not because they are cowboys - they are heroes because they will sacrifice for a good cause.

  Witnessing the slaughter breaks Waters' lifetime of mission discipline. He resolves to lead 70 refugees to Cameroon, at no small cost of peril to himself and his men. The sight of their helicopter whisking into the refugees' view above the trees and landing is one of the most moving moments; I got kind of misty. In fact there are other moments which are more subtle. When Waters gives the chopper the command to turn around, the immediate, unquestioning "Yes, sir" speaks volumes. And some critics called this movie "heavy-handed." (There is some incoherence ... some parts of the film imply that they immediately agree with Waters' decision, other parts of the film seem to contradict that.)

  In between exacting well-deserved vengeance on their genocidal enemies, they are chased relentlessly, engaging in intense firefights. Every time one of them stands up, you flinch and your guts tie into knots because you just *know* he's going to be hit. The soldiers exude a quiet, professional heroism which is apparently out of vogue in Hollywood, but will make you wish you were there beside them, even with a potato gun. Yes, the scenario is black and white, good against evil, but sometimes that's the reality. Deal with it.
  
  

• Tears of the Sun-Not Bad By My Standards
  By on 2003-04-14
  Tears of the Sun was a riveting and gripping action movie. It featured some understated by yet good performances by Bruce Willis. Director Antoine Fuqoa does another great job here like he did with the critically acclaimed and oscar winning Training Day. Tears of the Sun was a little flawed and somewhat monotonous and tedious but it certainly had its moments. As for the battle sequences, which unfortunately there aren't many of but well they are occasionally enthralling and intense. For the first though I honestly bored like hell, I wondered gee why did I come here? Within the last 30 minutes of the film, there was a fairly good battle sequence.
  The plot of the film is simple. Bruce Willis plays a commander and he heads an elite Marine unit to rescue a doctor named Dr. Lena Hendrix played by gorgeous Monica Bellucini and two nuns. Unfortunately Lena will not leave unless the 70 refugees under her care are transported to rescue as well. The tough decision comes and the film takes on an interesting path from here on out. Of course you can guess which decision he makes and he's of course got trouble on his hands. Rebel soliders are on his tail, and the transportaion of villagers is costing them valuable time. Bruce Willis of course does his "Die Hard" act and basically saves the day, a surprise right? Don't get me wrong, I personally like Bruce Willis, he's a fine actor, just it gets a little banal when knowing what's going to happen. Tears of the Sun features good action, but I wish there could've been a bit more.
  Tears of the Sun is rated R for Strong War Violence, Some Brutality and Language. The violence isn't excessive, but is occasionally gory, but usually not graphic by R standards. Horrible atrocities are shown and depicted of rebel soldiers beating and raping Nigerian villagers, but are not extensive.
  I would not highly recommend this film, but I surely would recommend it, for it's enjoyable seeing it, but once is enough. Trust me on that.
  
  
• This Is A Thoughtful Yet Still Terrific Action Film!
  By ALR35EFI69S5R on 2003-07-03
  From the opening sequences aboard the aircraft carrier to the closing credits desplayed over escaping helicopters, this is perhaps the single most thoughtful action film of recent memory. Bruce Willis is terrific as an officer whose special operations team is assigned to extract an American national missionary doctor (a lovely woman, of course) from the war-ravaged rural areas of Nigeria. What should be a quick and easy operation turns complex based on the doctor's seemingly outrageous demand that seventy Nigerians be brought along, on the one hand, and Willis' sorely vexed conscience based on what he knows will happen to these Nigerians if he leaves them behind. So, Eighty or so strong, they venture tenuously into the hidden dangers of the jungle, quickly pursued by a battalion of rebel forces bent on finding and killing them.

  What then transpires is both well dramatized and cinematically executed, and the movie gives the viewer a quite accurate idea of the amazing firepower contained in a relatively small American fighting unit, and at the same time it also renders a glowing and accurte portrait of just how selfless and caring American fighting men can be. In the wake of so many such recent examples in Iraq, it is touching to see it so convincingly dramatized here. Yet at the same time, some troubling social and political questions regarding the nature of the human beings that inhabit the planet are depicted in quite gritty detail, and the subsequent theme of how to make sense in an absolutely insane situation plays a major role in making this an excellent, albeit a bit self-conscious and serious, action film.

  The action is superb, the cinematography of the African landscape is breath taking, and the actors provide a wonderful ensemble portrait of people trying to cope with the manifest craziness of conflict and war. One leaves the film thinking about what has been said and shown, and with a greater appreciation for just how marvelously complex our position in the world is. I highly recommend the film both for entertainment and for edification. Enjoy
  
  

• A solidly crafted thriller.
  By A3L2U581LL17EB on 2003-10-16
  Tears of the Sun is hardly perfect. Director Antoine Fuqua's direction can get a bit heavy-handed and most of the characters are one to two-dimensional in development (understandable, given the large cast). But it's a solidly made, often thrilling and sometimes thought-provoking film that aims for serious issues, particularly as a sober outlook of modern warfare and morals. It's not entirely successful at the latter, but to even attempt to stray from typical Hollywood is admirable, and Tears of the Sun is often more hit than miss.

  Bruce Willis stars as A.K. Waters, the head of a mission to retrieve a Dr. Lena Hendricks (Monica Bellucci) from the Nigerian jungle, after Muslim rebels have just assassinated the presidential family, and are on a rampage throughout the country. Hendricks is located easily, but she will only leave so long as all able-bodied individuals on her mission can come along. Waters reluctantly agrees, but soon finds that he and his group must trek the jungles with no assistance and with 300 Nigerian soldiers hot on their trail.

  Tears of the Sun works as a thoughtful film, but is more successful as a tension-builder. Director Fuqua shows an able hand at building suspense to a feverish pitch, all the way to the concluding battle sequence, a fifteen minute setpiece that rivals any recent war film in both intensity and technical superiority. The other major action setpiece is a tense shootout in a village, the aftermath of which is disturbing in its revelation of the rebels' treatment of civilians. Tears of the Sun is a violent film, but never exploitative in its approach.

  The film's two best developed characters belong to Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci. Willis has always been a fine actor, this understated approach has worked for him before and fits like a glove here. I'm not quite as familiar with Bellucci, who I've only seen in Brotherhood of the Wolf and as one of the brides in Bram Stoker's Dracula, but she's quite good here, easily the film's anchor when it comes to heart and warmth. I'm certainly not exaggerating when I say she's one of the most beautiful (and bodacious) women to ever grace the screen (and I look forward to her in the upcoming Matrix sequels).

  There are flaws, such as the rather obtrusive musical score and some pretentious use of slow motion on Fuqua's behalf. The film's biggest narrative stumble comes with a plot twist 3/4's through the movie, when an extraneous plot twist is revealed. Admittedly, without the twist, the film wouldn't have been able to build up as much suspense, much less deliver that final battle. But when all is said and done, Tears of the Sun is highly recommended, a Hollywood film that has more on its mind than explosion and gunfights (which the movie still has an ample amount of).
  *** 1/2 out of *****
  
  

• Two hours of my life I'll never get back
  By on 2003-06-08
  In watching this movie, I feel a deep contrast to the director's other well known film, "Training Day," in that "Training Day" was a film with intrinsic watchability, obvious merit, and was well done in every aspect, while "Tears of the Sun" struck me as being purile and poorly executed. The question on my mind is simply this: how can professional soldiers be so...unprofessional?
  From the instant when the LT. (played by Bruce Willis) starts ignoring direct orders, he puts his team, his mission, his orders, his life, and the life of the doctor he was sent to rescue into jeopardy all on a personal whim.
  The bad thing is, it only gets worse.
  He intentionally flouts the chain of command, initiates combat when he has no such authorization, creates an international incident in absconding with the son of the slain president, gets half his team slain, ends up getting the "rescued" villagers either killed or injured, returns his mission objective to a dangerous, potentially deadly situation after rescuing her, and gets her wounded. (almost killed) Even though he was doing the moral thing, he wasn't doing the right thing, and his mistake could potentially been measured in the blood of his team and his countrymen. (This is also ignoring the fact that he, all of his team and the captain who allowed one of his officers to disobey him would all be court martialed and/or imprisoned for escalating an already volatile situation by directly attacking the uniformed troops and officers of the newly recognized regime of the country.)
  Aside from the above criticism, the movie had one enjoyable (and oddly realistic) scene: when the Lt. and his team assaulted the village where the people were being masacred. I thought it showed the competence of a SEAL unit and their combat training well.

  All-in-all, a thoroughly disappointing flick. (I highly recommend this for those who enjoyed watching "Behind Enemy Lines")
  
  

• Great Picture and Sound Quality
  By ARSHW604UF8M3 on 2006-11-24
  This review is only of the technical aspects of the disc, not the film itself. You may have heard that this disc is one of the best out of the early Blu-ray releases. That's absolutely true. The uncompressed PCM 5.1 soundtrack is the best sound quality I have heard so far in a consumer software release - we'll see if the recent Fox titles with DTS-HD Master Audio tracks can best it. The picture quality is extremely good, in the top 10-20% of current Blu-ray releases (as of Thanksgiving 06).
  
  
• The Brave
  By A1TJPMB7N776WS on 2003-03-15
  Antoine Fuqua definitely has an eye for mayhem and for the things that titillate and thrill us, as in his "Training Day." In "Tears of the Sun," he tackles the war film and has as his stars Bruce Willis and the impossibly beautiful Monica Bellucci. The plot is an interesting one with Willis (as A.K. Waters) sent to evacuate Bellucci (as Dr. Lena Hendricks) and some missionaries from an impending "racial cleansing" by a band of Nigerian rebels. Lena refuses to leave unless Waters also brings along a group of Nigerian citizens that live in the Mission; and so begins the central conflict of the film.
  The combat scenes are on par with and often better than any similar scenes within recent memory including those in "Black Hawk Down" and "We Were Soldiers." Fuqua shoots these scenes close to the vest and his mise en scene crackles with an otherworldly fire that burns with unrelenting pathos... very similar in mood to "Apocalypse Now."
  Bruce Willis' A.K. Waters is a stoic, a professional soldier who always follows the party line. But he finds himself, maybe for the first time in his career, doing something that his heart and gut tells him is right. Monica Bellucci is stunningly gorgeous but as she proved in "Melena," she is also a forceful actress.
  Though you might have thought that "Tears of the Sun" might be another Bruce Willis/Die Hard epic set in Nigeria, it is anything but. What it is, is one of those films that wears its emotions on its sleeve which unexpectedly creeps under you skin and into your heart.
  
  
• Tears Of The Sun Review
  By A1TA0WBCTTPG19 on 2004-10-12
  Naturally when Tears of the Sun came out I thought it was going to be another war movie that had more of a love story behind it than anything else such as Pearl Harbor. My quick judgment turned out to be wrong and I definitely advise giving this movie a chance. Director Antoine Fuque made a quite unique movie. It is not based on a true story, which makes the theme much different that any type of war movie we have seen so far.
  Navy SEAL Lt. Waters, Bruce Willis, and his crew are sent on a mission to Africa to retrieve an American doctor running some type of aid for African people in need. A group of rebel forces are in the area and when the "village" is found, it will definitely be destroyed. When the doctor refuses to leave her patients, Willis has to battle his conscience over his orders. He decides to take the patients with, but this makes the mission longer and much more difficult as the rebels close in. In the beginning of the movie, Willis is portrayed as an unemotional guy who just wants to complete the mission and get out of there, but by the end Willis shows more emotion.
  The fight scenes are good and just enough blood to get the picture, but not totally gruesome. The filming was good and there were no cheesy, fake scenes that just make you laugh. Even though your imagination has to do the work of the gruesomeness, it has a powerful impact on the brutality of the rebels.
  As said before, it is not based on a true story, but things are happening like this in our world. This movie makes you realize that not everyone has it as easy as us and some have to live in fear of being killed, really for no reason. You come to feel for the African people and hope that the Special Forces team will be able to get them the intended destination.
  One thing I would liked to have seen was a better character development, especially in the patients that the doctor insists on saving. I know they were running for their lives, but we could have seen some traditions or something of that the nature. The only time you see this is at the end. If there was more of a development, maybe you could feel for them a bit more and the movie would be that more interesting.
  I think this movie is very good. It is different than what we are used to seeing. The movie is wrapped with so much emotion that it is hard not to enjoy it.
  
  
  
• MediaGab Review
  By A1SHXMC4X7X1SE on 2003-03-10
  Bruce Willis stars in the action-adventure film `Tears of the Sun'. Willis plays Lt. Waters who is in charge of a S.E.A.L.s team on a routine rescue mission. They are sent in to save a American doctor of a Nigerian mission from rebels that are causing devastation across the country. Unfortunately Dr. Lena Kendricks (Monica Bellucci) talks Lt. Waters into taking the people that she is caring for in her mission. We find that Lt. Waters takes on more to the mission then just a simple rescue. He finds that he cares more and more for the people of the mission instead of having a heart of steal. "Tears of the Sun" is about what happens when we do the right thing instead of doing nothing at all. Without the protection of the S.E.A.L.s protection the refugees would have been massacred.

  The movie jumps right into the action skipping character development. We learn about the characters during the mission. I found that the movie was exciting to watch but due to the lack of character development in the beginning it takes a while to get comfortable with the movie.

  The plot of the movie is intriguing to me. Lt. Water becomes a hero in this fictitious story because he defies specific orders and puts his life and the lives of his team at risk to save many lives that were otherwise not his responsibility.

  I give the movie a 4 out of 5 subtracting one point for the slow character development. Some of the reviews bash Willis for his role in the movie, I didn't think he did a bad job. Again you just have to wonder if the professional movie critics are watching the same movie as the rest of us.
  
  

• good movie
  By A3AKFMS7DIZFU2 on 2003-03-26
  After seeing Windtalkers I was thinking Tears of the sun was gonna be another cheesy action version not depicting actual war
  images that are dark and realistic like in movies such as Black
  Hawk Down,Saving Private Ryan,or even Braveheart(with swords and
  axes but defitnitley realistic).Iwas dead wrong this movie is dark the whole 2 hours its on.With the rainy jungle,no reinforcem
  ts,rebel guerilla troops on their tale,and about 20 ill refugees
  all on them at once u can see the exaustion and horror in all 8
  mens face's.The war scenes are very well done and brutal(you see
  images of rape,dismembering,war violence,and dead refugees)with
  the brutality and violence u witnessed in Antoine's first earlier
  masterpiece(Training Day)you had and idea this was gonna be for
  a strong stomach.There probably wont be any oscars for this one
  but if you like war movies or even action movies and the man,the
  one and only Bruce Willis check out Tears Of The Sun.
  
  
• Tears Of The Disappointed...
  By A23FXW3H8FR789 on 2003-05-13
  You know, from all of the advertising and promotion for this film, you get the idea that 'Tears Of The Sun' promises to be a nice blend of macho action heroics and remorseful anti-war sentiment. Well, that's what it wanted to be. In the end, it's not any of that by a long shot. There are two blaringly obvious problems with this movie. Let's talk about them a little.

  The first and most obvious setback with 'Tears Of The Sun' is that it tries to be both an action flick and an anti-war film at the same time and just cancels itself out in the process. The plot, about an elite team of Navy SEALS (aren't they all supposed to be elite?) are assigned to save a doctor who is American by marriage from possible death at the hands of militant guerillas in the remote jungles of an African nation in revolutionary turmoil. Pretty heady stuff, right? It sure would make for a compelling film, right? I agree. Unfortunately, director Antoine Fuqua has studder-stepped here with this heartless hole of a movie. The dialogue is stilted and wooden, even coming from such actors as Bruce Willis, (the team leader) Monica Belluci, (the stubbornly stupid doctor) and Tom Skerritt (Willis' commander).

  This brings me to the second problem with this film. There is zero character development in this movie. None. Not even a smidgen. You'd think with all of the high-minded ambition teeming in this movie, just waiting to bubble over and take effect, that there'd be some great character moments. There's not a one. Bruce Willis' character is as emtionless and uninteresting as they come. We don't even get a single tiny hint as to why he's such a space cadet. He just is. On the other hand, his performance is oscar-caliber compared to the epic blunder that's disguised as Monica Belluci's painfully annoying performance. As the tactless and inconsiderate doctor in charge of a refuge/mission for African dissidents of that specific nation, she is completely annoying and throughly aggravating. I was hoping the team would give up and hand her over to the rebel guerillas just for the sake of relief. The rest of the SEAL team is so forgettable, you'll wonder if there even was a team at all after the movie is over. Unsympathetic characters that not even the most vacuous of personalities can relate to does not make a good movie even marginally passable by any stretch of the imagination.

  The only reason I warranted the film with two stars instead of one, is that the cinematography is very nice, potraying the African jungle wilderness as dangerous and beautiful all at once. Also, you can tell that Willis and Skerritt and a few others are really trying to break free from the frozen script and do some good here, however they don't really hit the mark.

  Bottom Line: 'Tears Of The Sun' is an empty and failed hybrid of an action flick and war film with lifeless chracters, but has some nice scenery and decent but pointless action battles. If you're a fan of this stuff, wait for video at best. Everyone else will be alright without it.
  
  

• Good men doing nothing - for 2 hours.
  By APZC5PRJVM0PY on 2003-06-17
  A big let down, Tears of the Sun is a convoluted, tortuous mess. The flaws are too many and too gross to name all of them, but on with the review anyway...

  The Good:
  I really couldn't find anything.

  The Bad:
  Absolutley no chain of command whatsoever...anywhere.
  One fire mission manages to kill every single hostile in the area while not harming our heroes.
  The final encounter is no more than a quick jog from the safety of an allied compound apparently.

  The Ugly:
  These happen to be the dumbest navy seals I have ever heard of, led by a man who is probably the dumbest in the bunch. He makes a bad decision from the outset and then complicates it with more bad decisions. Who was the technical advisor on this film, or did they even bother with one? Lines such as "conserve your ammo!" were followed by men firing from the hip indescriminatly into the treeline, while "hold the line!" was usually followed by a retreat. The ambush they intended to orchestrate put the Seals in the lowest possible firing position, firing up into the enemy. No one bothered with camoflauge (especially Willis' big shiny bald head), and the teams sniper honestly would have known better. They wait until they are engaged to place their claymore, but luckily the enemy in typical hollywood fashion can't hit a thing. And when things start going poorly they honestly line up in a row and start walking across the clearing towards the enemy. Come on, honestly. Didn't we learn to stop fighting like that about the time of WW1? Another great portrayal of one of the best fighting forces in the world (heavy sarcasm).
  
  

• Squinting and ideology
  By A3P6I7JS8LW9TB on 2005-10-20
  This movie is an example of racist ideology created to pacify apathetic American moviegoers that have heard that something bad is going on in Africa. The pretentious placement of an Edmund Burke quote ("All that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for enough good men to do nothing.") at the end of the film does nothing to place the Nigerian conflict in a historical context or provide a possible active role for the sympathetic viewer. It merely supports the apathy of the target audience: suburban Christian Republicans (note the subplot of Christian persecution in the Mission scenes). It also provides a fantasy image of the military-industrial complex as a humanitiarian force in order to resolve any tension the viewer may have about our current military adventures overseas.
  As if this were not enough, Bruce Willis squints like a constipated monkey throughout the entire film.
  
  
• "Tears", not what it appears.
  By A5BO32GTOJDOE on 2003-03-29
  I appreciate a trailer that gets you interested, but doesn't give the movie away. This movie is a good example of that. I walked in expecting a typical action film, and was pleasantly surprised with much more. A good storyline made better by believable characters struggling with their own inner conflicts concerning duty, honor, and morals. Cudo's to Bruce Willis for sticking to his guns about not doing the "kiss" scene, which would have compromised the believability of this well thought out action/war drama. Catch it on the big screen, it's one of the better movies so far this year.
  
  
• I don't usually do this
  By on 2003-06-12
  I watched this movie until Bruce Willis decides to turn back the helicopters to "save" the people he left behind. At that point I turned the movie off. why would he do this?? Because Monica Belluci is sooo beautiful? Because this hardcore career black ops military guy suddenly felt bad? At that moment I felt cheated. I first felt cheated when Wilis let all the people come along-but was redeemed when I saw what he was doing-and then he goes and spoils it all by going back for them and putting his own men in unnecessary danger. Mutiny anyone? Don't buy this movie-don't rent it-don't waste your time. You want to see a great war movie kids-watch Apocalypse Now, Deer Hunter, even 3 Kings was better.
  
  
• Breaks the mold and opens some eyes
  By A2ABZKEATXJJ78 on 2003-06-23
  Having arrived back from Uganda not long before seeing this movie, I was powerfully moved by it. Having seen the scars of "ethic cleansing" in the countryside north of the capital Kampala, having heard the stories from those that crouched for months and months clinging to some vague hope of suvival as entire villages were massacred, have so wonderfully connected with those beautiful people, I was stunned by the plausability of this film. Nigeria is indeed an explosive country, straddled by deep religious tension (they muslims to the north wanting to impose Islamic Law on the Christrians throughout), and like most African countries, a ever simmering-ready-to-blow keg of ethnic hatred. Americans (sometimes) learn of the attrocities which have become all too common in Africa. But like the holocaust, we hesitate to believe that such evil does exist and will set forth its will in utter destruction and contempt of life.
  
  
  I deeply appreciated this flick because it seemed to bring the horrors of what we do not want to believe or see into our homes. These realities cannot be trivialized. They are real, as is the premise: "evil will triump when good men do nothing". This movie was one of the most powerfully compelling, deeply emotional films I have seem.
  
  
  And, having seen the film with a French citizen, before the war, I came out (of coarse) blasting the French (though they are now in the congo for a time) for their all too selfish crusade against intervention in Iraq - which amounted to little more than a desparate attempt to form a counter weight to American power on the geo-political stage, all while the mass graves continue to grow in population, while the children of Iraq continued to die under the suffocating embargo to the tune of 700,000 over 10+/- years.
  
  
  Not that these men were good in essense, the world has a VERY short supply of truely GOOD men (human). But this film does pose some difficult questions in a very compelling way, one that I hope will be a catalyse for the lazily blinding and hedonistic and anything but GOOD American people as we examine our responsibility in the world as its only remaining superpower.
  
  
• TEARS OF THE SUN/NIGERIA
  By A2GJKKDL6IMB0Z on 2004-08-19
  I read your review about the movie "TEARS OF THE SUN" that starred BRUCE WILLIS amongst others ,but i think i like the way you all expressed your views.
  I am an 18-year-old Nigerian and i have lived in Nigeria all my life and i must not fail to tell you that i have never experienced war and violence before,but i learn't that before i was born the biafran war was fought in which thousands of people from my
  tribe(igbo) were killed, we the igbo are mainly christians and 70% of igbos are catholics.
  In recent years, before i was bornthe igbo people fought for independence from the clutches of the fulanis and the hausas who are mainly muslims and believed in violently killing and wiping out oppositions claiming they were fighting what they call "holywar" my people couldn't bear this and tried to declare "THE REPUBLIC OF BIAFRA" but all their efforts were to no avail as the hausas and the fulanis under the military didctator YAKUBU GOWON,were being backed by the U.S and the BRITISH forces, all these happened in the 1970's, about 10 years after NIGERIA's independence, till now the igbo people still clamour for independence but they want in peacefully.
  In essence, what i'm trying to point out is that;considering africa in general, NIGERIA is not as violent as it is being thought outside the shores of NIGERIA, because peace has being restored along time ago even before i was born, what we have now in Nigeria are meagre ethnic clashes which only surfaces in a moment only to die off after a day or two and if you disagree with me, why don't you visit other african countries like Burundi,Sudan,Libya,Liberia .et al where rebels never die. You will agree with me that meagre clashes happens everwhere in the world even in U.S and Britain where we all agree are the most peacefull countries in the world.
  According to U.N estimation Nigeria has about 133 million people and 250 DIFFERENT ethnic tribes with different religions and now it's obvious why tolerance will most likely fail to prevail but in spite of all these Nigeria can still boast of being one of the most peaceful nations in Afica.
  Actually, i don't want to sound so patriotic that i mislead or misinform people about happenings in Nigeria, but with due respect to all who have a hand in the production of
  that movie, i think that they (Americans) where so innovative that they damaged the sense of belonging of the common Nigerian who PEACEFULLY wakes up in the morning , goes out for his daily duties and comes home SAFELY to return to return to his bed, thereby giving him a trauma for being a Nigerian. It is really sad to see that they have nothing else to talk about Nigeria than violence, war, rape, and so on.
  I have been to virtually all parts of Nigeria and i know what peace in Nigeria is all about, so i want to inform anyone who reads this coloumn that now Nigeria is not as violent as it is painted in the movie"TEARS OF THE SUN" and with due respect, that everything done about Nigeria in that movie are all false and unreal.
  
  
  
• One of Bruce Willis' best performances!
  By A1RNL38FZSTVWK on 2004-08-27
  OK, I'd like to start off by saying that I've seen a few opinions regarding this movie here (mainly political), and let's try to remember that this IS only a movie! Sure, maybe this isn't the way Africa or Nigeria really is, and maybe it's not true-to-life...but, again, it's a MOVIE! It's for entertainment purposes! All that aside, let's focus on the "movie".
  
  The movie itself features Bruce Willis in probably one of his best acting performances. (One of his most realistic roles) Even the other actors & actresses did a fine job in this movie.
  
  Like others, I thought this movie would have gotten WAY better reviews from film critics, but, it didn't. Considering this movie was well acted, and well produced, and had all the elements needed to make a good movie! Action, great acting, decent plot, drama, heroism, plus, it could even jerk a tear or two from a viewer.....etc....Not too bad if you ask me!
  
  OK, even I can agree that the ending was a little unrealistic (final showdown), but again....it's a movie! That's Hollywood for ya'....That's what Hollywood does.....
  
  Overall, I loved the movie, and thought it was well thought-out, I found it alot better than most war movies, and it was one of Bruce Willis' best acting roles to date.
  
  
• Not that great
  By A2R4XG0L7Z01V8 on 2005-03-07
  I can't really see the fuss about this movie - or Monica Bellucci for that matter. I wasn't bored as such through most of it, just wondering what was going on, and when it was going to end. And wishing Monica would do up a few more buttons on her shirt.
  
  I don't mind Bruce Willis movies at all, although it's disappointing sometimes when they don't live up to expectations. I might take a peek at Hostage when it comes out on DVD, plus it's got his daughter in it, playing his daughter, which should be interesting. But as for this, I'm so glad I didn't buy it, as it would have been a waste of money.
  
  Does anyone else think that when Bruce has the very grey stubble, he looks like Jean Reno?!
  
  The characters very one-dimensional in this, particularly Monica Bellucci's character. (Why do I think she's French instead of Italian?) All she had to do during a lot of the movie was stand around, look worried, and not very much else - except call Bruce all the names she could think of in a different language. She was highly unbelieveable, particularly as her husband was said to have been killed not that long ago, in a similar situation. Wouldn't that have awakened old memories? Brucie must have got a right slap off set, during the scene where she got knocked out, cos he got a right feel of her ass when he put her over his shoulder. Plus, the director must have realised that there's a few boring moments, cos suddenly, Monica bares a lot of cleavage, just to get the guys interested in the movie again, when there's not much action.
  
  What stops this movie from being rated two stars was the shoot out/war towards the end. This definitely made up for the rest of the movie being rather tedious, as it was a shocking, nail biting few minutes, as one by one the SEALS got killed, or injured. It was simply amazing, and brutal. The score reminded me very much of Armageddon, and all the fighting and the planes coming to the rescue, strangely enough, reminded me of Pearl Harbour.
  
  Although it was only 10 minutes longer than Secretary, which won in a toss up over which movie to watch late at night, I still found Secretary to pass a lot quicker. This was incredibly slow, and definitely felt quite a bit longer than its 1hr 56mins at some points.
  
  This movie does a great job of portraying the heartbreak that people go through in that part of the world, and I will admit, I did get quite teary towards the end when people were reunited. It doesn't make up for the fact the rest of the film was pointless and tedious.
  
  
• Surprisingly good movie that is totally underrated
  By A1HO9J4DCQDGP9 on 2006-05-09
  I saw this movie on TV just the other day and I was a bit sceptical as I am not really a Brue Willis fan, too gung-ho for me at times but he managed win me over with this little gem of yet another underrated film.
  
  Willis plays the taciturn and battle worn Lt. Waters who along with his elite team of Navy SEALS are sent to war-torn Nigeria with orders to rescue an American citizen by marriage a one Dr. Lena Kendricks (Monica Bellucci). The mission is in theory cut and dry except for a small problem Dr. Kendricks is not willing to abandon the people she has grown to love during her time caring for them.
  
  Lt Waters forces the Doctor to leave behind her friends but when he sees from the helicopter what horrific fate awaits them he disobeys a direct order from his Commanding Officer to ignore the plight of the refugees and with his men he turns back and attempts to make it to the safety of Cameroon on foot.
  
  To make matters worse, the little band of men and women are being pursued by ruthless guerrillas who destroy everything and everyone in their path because hiding among the fleeing refugees is the sole survivor of the country's previous ruling family, whom the rebels have been ordered to eliminate at all costs.
  
  Willis is superb as the damaged and emotionally fragile Lt. Waters who finds to his consternation that he has acquired a conscience and that he cares about what happens to the people now in his care and come hell or high water he will save them or die trying. There are some pretty gruelling scenes such as the murder of a young woman and her baby in a village, and the savagery of the American soldiers when pursuing a traitor in their midst is equally stomach churning but each scene plays a pivotal part in the whole of the film and you become aware that you are watching something unfolding before your eyes, a drama about human nature and its ability to both shock and praise in the same breath.
  
  The musical score from beginning to end is amazing, haunting and unforgettable and well worth listening on its own, in fact it was so good I have now got a copy of it to listen to on my computer.
  
  As the film headed toward its violent climax I found myself on the edge of my seat as the survivors and the now battle worn American soldiers run desperately toward the Cameroon border, knowing full well that if they don't make it they will all be slaughtered mercilessly.
  
  Watch the last few minutes of this movie for a wonderful scene when some other refugees already in Cameroon realise that there is a survivor of the slaughtered ruling family among them, that even brought a tear to my cynical eye, especially when the wounded Lt Waters watches it unfold from the helicopter, held in the loving arms of Dr Kendricks who realises what sacrifice he has made for her and the refugees. It was all done so naturally and without guile it was if I was there witnessing it myself.
  
  A fantastic film that does Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci credit and I must add that the young man who played the surviving member of the slaughtered previous ruling household was excellent too, as were all the cast in fact.
  
  
• Want to know what this film is aout?
  By AZFOXFBLZ63UA on 2006-05-20
  This is an important film. The writer's original intention was to craft a film loosley around The Sandpebbles and African Queen.
  
  The Special Edition of this film includes writers' observations by Alex Lasker and Patrick Cirillo, and they narrate as the film proceeds. They describe the evolution and changes to the original script, subject to a studio seeking to craft a film which would create profits and be a good vehicle for Bruce Willis. But, the writers wanted to draw attention to the state of Africa, and the recurring problems resulting in horrible human rights violations. They bring awareness to genocide and civil war where the western world does not want to get involved.
  
  Reading reviews, it's amazing what this film has meant to people. Some see it as a great but mindless action film. It's meaningful enough to bring others to tears. I recently read a review proclaiming that liberals and "America hating" leftists would hate the film, and that the film represents the goose-step of conservatives. This is certainly at odds with the writers' intentions. As a socially liberal and left leaning American (but fiscally conservative), this attitude left me puzzled. I've always seen conservative types as huddled around their little pile of stuff acquired through life like golems, and concerned with little else in this world. They just want to protect their little pile. A good American to them has a responsibility to care little for the rest of the world, unless we can plunder someone to fatten the coffers. Neoconservatives feel a requirement to democratize the world, as planned out in the imperialistic Project For A New Century. Conservative administrations believe that war is good for corporations and business, but place no emphasis on human rights. Create a war and watch the stock market go crazy. It doesn't matter that our children will be left to figure out the unfathomable debt. Frankly, I don't get it. "Liberals and leftists" believe in international responsibility, and that's what this film is about.
  
  Bruce Willis plays a good soldier who is siezed by conscience in the film, and finds it necessary break his orders to accomplish the "right thing". I've read reviews condemning this action, stating that orders must never be broken, and that in real life Willis would have been rightfully destined for punishment. The military order transcends moraltiy and ethics. In the real world this fact is probably true, so perhaps the film is a bit of a fantasy.
  
  This movie is important because it draws attention to a state of affairs in Africa from which most Americans have been insulated. Recently, The Sudanese government's systematic murder and starvation of black Sudanese has been in the news, thanks to George Clooney and others. It also draws attention toward America's view of the rest of the world.
  
  I found this movie thought provoking as well as being an exciting adventure story. Hopefully people will see this and ask some important questions. While the great nation of America should not be the world's police force, we should be a rock solid moral example for the rest of the world. Want to talk about power? What better power than that which is born out of respect. Instead we have been on a morally questionable path, conducting an unneccesary war, spending trillions and inflicting pain and suffering. We have lost 2500 soldiers of our own, with thousands wounded and traumatized. And for what? Oil? Other countries natural resources? 9/11 hysteria? A neoconservative agenda?
  
  Oil, natural resources and greed are one of the major contributions to events of genocide around the world. This is a sub-theme of the film, intimating that America would have no intention of involvement for humanitarian issues, but oil is another matter. It's sad but true. We have a choice in who we elect, and where they are destined to lead us. We still have elected officials who regret that the south lost the Civil War, and regret the civil rights advances since then. They would consider anyone a leftist who would champion civil rights and who would sympathize with the genocide themes in the film.
  
  This is what the film meant to me. My "liberals eye view" found it deeply moving and morally uplifting. One more thing ... in Special Features is a feature called "Voices of Africa". Eight African actors in the film recount their personal experiences and horrors in the Sudan, Nigerian, Congo, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Thankfully many of them found refuge, and a chance for a future by escaping to America. These moving interviews alone are reason enough to purchase the Special Edition.
  
  When it's time, vote for an administration who will make this country proud. See this film as a reminder that we are each our brother's keeper.
  
  
• Tears touches the soul
  By A3IH2L4B5VOA59 on 2003-05-15
  A brilliantly conceived and executed war movie. Bruce Willis is less Die Hard and more real and compassionate, although clearly flawed. He and his platoon of Navy Seals force themselves into facing what they have stood down from many times in the past. It means disobeying orders and putting themselves at greater risk, but they do it, to atone for their past sins. The result is a story of gruesome intensity mingled with empathy and spiritual and physical redemption. I highly recommend it.
  Some have doubted that the situations portrayed in this movie could ever actually exist. But ethnic cleansing and other war and brutality is rampant up and down Africa, lest you forget Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe among others. And brutality and religious persecution continue in Nigeria, which was in fact embroiled in a civil war and military dictatorship a few years back and still stuns the world with inexplicable and hideous responses to something like the Miss World contest, which resulted in another massacre.
  You might say Tears of the Sun took the cliche of making the setting dense rainforest-like vegetation, but a bit of research reveals that a good portion of Nigeria is in fact dense rainforest-like vegetation.
  
  
• Tears for a few good men
  By A2000DWMMYNIYB on 2004-01-01
  Eight Navy Seals get a rough assignment: Pull an American doctor out of war-torn Nigeria. The mission becomes much more complicated and difficult when the doctor refuses to leave her charges. Willis, as the lieutenant commanding the squad, has to make life-and-death choices and the allow his humanity to surface or, as he says, he learns to "give a f*ck". Willis uses his "Die Hard" style, with little opportunity for humor. There really isn't any room here for humor. It is dark, tense and scary. And there is also the triumphant, mostly rewarding and credible climax.

  There is more development and tension than violence and action for much of the film. The minutes of violence are heart wrenching and not overly gratuitous. Explicit, graphic violence comes with a message, even if you choose to dismiss it. For a moment, I though there might be a neat, simple and clean ending possible, but the director (who first made "Training Day") was too honest. There is also a small political twist that adds some heart and sense of revival to the devastation trailing the small group trying to make their way from the medical mission to safety in Cameroon.

  To be political and personal for a moment, I was moved. A few good men can make a difference, and not the way Rob Reiner portrayed them. Sure, this is Hollywood and creative license is what often makes art and entertainment. But Michael Moore was much less honest with "Bowling for Columbine," and he won an Academy Award for his "documentary". "Tears of the Sun" is a more honest view of, as the director says, "man's inhumanity to man."As Willis says in the accompanying feature, when it comes to internecine warfare in Africa, "It all depends upon who has the guns." And he's not talking about the NRA.
  
  

• Disappointing
  By A2B8BOWWFCHBFX on 2004-02-20
  Although this movie has a great title, it unfortunately falls short. How many other movies have already been done just like this one? Did we really need this story line again? Totally predictable and quite boring, and non-original. Bruce is far from my fave actor, but in this he really stinks. Altogether a big disappointment.
  
  
• 4 1/2 Stars. One of the best SOF movies ever.
  By on 2004-02-20
  This movie was far underated by critics and even some fans.
  This is military themed movie making at it's best. (Along with
  Black Hawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, and few others)
  Thankfully, real SEALS served as technical advisors for the film.
  While this is still Hollywood and things can't be exactly accurate, it is technically superior to most warfare films. The weapons are right(notice the point man carries a shotgun in the dense jungle), tactics are good(the team peels off and covers each other, fire short bursts,not spray and pray, etc.)
  The military speak is accurate and the SEALS actually look and act like Spec Warriors.
  The entire cast is great and the direction is first-rate. I recommend watching with director's commentary on for a second viewing. While very violent at times, it's necessary to show the struggle of the refugees and people of modern Africa. This is not a standard straight forward action film but, rather a film about redemption and doing the right thing even if it means the loss of your own life.
  
  

• Black Hawk Down [Blu-ray]
• The Patriot (Extended Cut) [Blu-ray]
• The Fifth Element (Remastered) [Blu-ray]
• We Were Soldiers [Blu-ray]
• Troy - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]