Directed by:
Antoine FuquaCinematography:
Mauro FioreCast:
Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser, Eamonn Walker, Johnny Messner, Nick Chinlund, Paul Francis, Tom Skerritt, Malick Bowens, Akosua Busia, Sammi Rotibi (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
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. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (8)
The biggest problem with this movie is that it pretends to be a deep drama reflecting cruel actual events in the African jungle. And though it does depict those events in a really naturalistic way (I hadn’t had such a knot in my stomach in a long time!), it seems to lack credibility due to the combination of American bombast and Bruce Willis’s famous face. Tears of the Sun can also be seen as a pure action flick that wants to be something more, but because of the slow and boring screenplay, it’s not even a satisfying action movie.
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A very good action film with McClane in the service of the military, but very weak as the drama with a strong humanistic message it wants to be. Monica Bellucci rolls helplessly on the ground and tries in vain to touch the inner emotions of the viewer who, mouth full of popcorn, wants only proper action and the traditionally gurgling Zimmer soundtrack. But the grimy visuals are just so naturalistic and haunting that I can't completely dislike it. 65%
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A lot of angry Bruce Willis, an unbearably wooden Monica Bellucci, the jungle, gunshots, dust, and injustice. To top it off, one big and very unbelievable twist against orders, cliches that are sometimes annoying, and an irritatingly optimistic message that hurts. All in the packaging of Hans Zimmer's surprisingly tired composition and big black-and-white peace propaganda. I occasionally quite like Antoine Fuqua, but the claim that he's really good at making empty movies has never been more true.
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At the beginning it drags on slowly and the only thing that looked any good is the surrounding jungle and Bruce Willis in camouflage kit holding a machine gun. The African jungle seemed to be asleep all the time. Where are the snakes, the spiders and other critters that could make this group’s journey a little more unpleasant? Take a look at Rescue Dawn and you’ll see what I mean. It’s all so artificial. Tears of the Sun tries to touch us with humanity and good deeds by hard guys who until now behaved like robots. And the only thing that Fuqua gave to this movie are lens filters, amazing views of African nature and a solid action ending which digs this picture up from the gray average. 3
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Too simple, flat, and in the second half also hardly believable, but Fuqua knows when the limit of pathos is exhausted and thankfully keeps the tough soldiers in check and avoids playing a hysterical drama about the redemption of hearts and the desire to help the innocent at the cost of one's own life – it can indeed be done without the drama. It is a pity for the unbelievably constructed action scenes at the end. Besides the excellent performance by Willis, the cleansing of the village and especially the portrayal of the military unit are good – their communication, behavior, actions. In one of the few war films where emphasis is placed on these attributes and it all looks highly realistic.
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