Rating: 
Summary: save yourself
Review: It's a good bet that you already know EXACTLY what is going to happen in this movie. Peruse the reviews for a minute or two, and poof: A team of U.S. soldiers risk themselves for a dumb woman who went to help the natives of some armpit country and WOULDN'T LEAVE THEM BEHIND IN THAT AWFUL PLACE THEY CALL HOME. Our soldiers: the bravest, the best, the brightest, the most honorable, the most human the MOST TOUGH. Yes, you've seen this movie before and it was much better when it was titled "Black Hawk Down".
Rating: 
Summary: Breaks the mold and opens some eyes
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Minor flaws and a so-so ending keeps this from a 5th star.
Review: Bruce Willis looks in real good shape for a guy his age. He does very well playing the leader of a special ops team that is trying not to let on that he is torn between following orders, and saving innocents. The movie alludes to him always following orders in the past, and that this mission, he just couldn't do it anymore. Is there a better actor to play a yelling/compassionate c.o. besides Tom Skerrit. His role got a little silly looking when he was repeatedly trying to yell over landing jets as he was talking to Willis' character over the radio on the deck of an air craft carrier. I'm sure there are quieter places on board for that sort of thing. The action is fun, but at times depressing as you see a bit of ethnic cleansing in action and you realize this sort of thing actually happens. It is all very well done and intense, untill the ending. I can't think of how I would have ended it, but there has to have been better ideas. First of all, the woman who was smiling and crying at Bruce Willis in thanks would not have had such nice white perfect teeth for that smile. Also, I don't think Willis should have looked that happy as he had just lost half of his team.
Rating:
Summary: Formulaic but with a good heart
Review: TEARS OF THE SUN is yet another action movie that spends more on special effects of destruction than on any other aspect. Given that this type of film seems to be in demand at the box ofice I suppose that the humanistic edge of this 'hard-nosed military types softening from the regimen of their "mission" to take time and heart to help a struggling people beseiged by guerillas' puts it on firmer ground than most. Not a film for the weak of stomach but a beautifully photographed and luminously scored (Hans Zimmer) fast moving movie that benefits for the presence of the mold of Bruce Willis-types and from the presence of Monica Bellucci.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but based on a massive flaw
Review: Well it's a good movie, all things considered, but the very reason for the conflict would never happen in real life. People that will be extracted immediately are secured by Special Ops personell by way of flexicuff on the hands and ductape for the mouth. Maybe not for a 10 click hike, but the second that a target resists extration, she would be bound, gagged, and on a soldier's shoulder. The point is, the beginning of this movie - the conflict it is based around - simply would not happen.Other than that, it's a halfway realistic representation of war, certainly more realistic in scope than Black Hawk Down, which displayed a pretty good portrait of special ops combat in itself (without all the political factors surrounding combat). Three stars is as much and as little as it deserves. Worth seeing, finally something that doesn't glorify combat too much.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Sentimental
Review: Tears of the Sun just isn't my type of movie, but it's not all bad either. I'd rank it slightly above Black Hawk Down. Honestly, I was hoping for more action. This movie is rather slow paced with lots of "emotion" tossed in. It takes an otherwise entertaining action flick downhill, in my opinion. Things aren't all bad though. There's some great action mixed in between all the sappy parts, and nearly all the the actors playing the US soldiers give a great performance. The ironic thing is, most of the characters seem just as annoyed at the slow pace and sappy nature of it all as I did, which made it that much more tolerable. - Rirath_com
Rating:
Summary: Tears of the Sun
Review: Tears of the Sun is an excellent movie which was expertly directed with an outstanding musical score. After watching the movie on DVD I went out and brought the sound track. My entire family loves it. What I like most about the movie it projected intelligent African although brutal soldier tracking down the elite seals. The main plot of the trackers to sever the blood line of sole remaining heir to the kingdom can at just the right time. The movie was realistic in that the SEALS could not defeat the Africans without last minute air power and about half of the were KIA. I can't wait to buy the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: 2 thumbs DOWN
Review: This dull, stupid waste of time is one to run from. It is so bad most people I have talked to have turned it off within the first 30 minutes of play time. I lasted about 10 minutes. Bruce Willis acted like he wanted to be elsewhere, must have had some bills to pay. Save your money and watch a mickey mouse cartoon instead.
Rating:
Summary: Untold Stories
Review: In the vein of "We Were Soldiers," this film is a brutally graphic depiction of the world we live in. It can be very disturbing at times, but is a useful reminder. Africa is often ignored becuase, to westerners in general and America in particular, the people are not that important, unless another major power or economics are involved.
Now, in light of Hollywoods facination with the Holocaust, it is good to see other human rights issues being raised. We tend to forget that Stalin, Mao, The Khmer Rouge, the Turks and even Americans have together, ethnically and religiously cleansed many more people than the NAZI's. Every country, every people has a skeleton in its closet and is capable of brutality if they whitewash their own history and become passive about human rights issues.
Finally, the movie leaves us with a call to action, but provides no clear answer as to what action, unless it is to go in and kill every thug in the world. The film is worth watching, but is not for the squeamish.
Rating:
Summary: Bruce Willis has done better, but still a top pick.
Review: I purchased this film having not ever seen it. I got it based on friends' recommendations, so I knew I'd probably like it. The storyline was pretty solid given the current situation in several African countries. An African country is in the middle of a coup, and rebels are killing people all over the country. Willis plays the commander of a SEAL team sent in to extract an American citizen working at a mission hospital. She demands that they take a bunch of other people with them or she's not going. A massive rebel force tracks them through the jungle trying to kill them all. The firefight scenes are pretty good, and elaborate a bit on the tactics of swift, silent attacks done by the SEALs. One scene I thought was pretty hilarious (stupid) was a scene where Tom Skerrit is on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier talking to Willis on a satellite phone. Skerrit has one finger in his other ear while talking to Willis. I found this funny because I know that the noise level on the flight deck of a carrier is so high that if you stand there without hearing protection, in about 1 minute you'd be dead. Just an observation, that's all. Overall the movie was good, but not excellent, so I didn't give it 5 stars. Several small things like the scene mentioned previously knocked it down a notch. Don't get me wrong, this is a good movie, and I'm definitely glad I got it. As with many war movies, the content isn't suitable for younger children, say 14 and under, even with parental supervision. Some scenes are too intense for them.
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