Tears of the Sun

Rating:
Summary: Heroic, but too bold...
Review: A unit of Navy Seals is sent on a mission to retract Dr. Lena Hendricks (Monica Bellucci). The Navy Seals are led by A.K. Waters (Bruce Willis) who has never failed a mission before and he has no intentions of failing this one. However, the situation that is presented to A.K. is not satisfactory to him, since he is about to leave a large number of refugees behind to be slaughtered by the oncoming troops of soldiers. Thus, he returns in order to bring the refugees to the borders of Cameroon, where they can be safe. Tears of the Sun shows present-day fictional violence in Nigeria that is very similar to the genocide that took place in Rwanda ten years ago where soldiers of one tribe chased another in order to secure their own tribes future. However, the film comes across as a propaganda film showing why war is a necessary, which hurts the overall experience. In addition, Dr. Lena Hendricks character does not come across as credible for many reasons such as clothing (i.e., to look sexy instead of practical in the jungle), explicit use of make up, and professional care of eye brows. The final result is a viewable film that provides action, suspense, and moral lessons of helping those in need.

Rating:
Summary: Heroic, but too bold...
Review: unit of Navy Seals is sent on a mission to retract Dr. Lena Hendricks (Monica Bellucci). The Navy Seals are led by A.K. Waters (Bruce Willis) who has never failed a mission before and he has no intentions of failing this one. However, the situation that is presented to A.K. is not satisfactory to him, since he is about to leave a large number of refugees behind to be slaughtered by the oncoming troops of soldiers. Thus, he returns in order to bring the refugees to the borders of Cameroon, where they can be safe. Tears of the Sun shows present-day fictional violence in Nigeria that is very similar to the genocide that took place in Rwanda ten years ago where soldiers of one tribe chased another in order to secure their own tribes future. However, the film comes across as a propaganda film showing why war is a necessary, which hurts the overall experience. In addition, Dr. Lena Hendricks character does not come across as credible for many reasons such as clothing (i.e., to look sexy instead of practical in the jungle), explicit use of make up, and professional care of eye brows. The final result is a viewable film that provides action, suspense, and moral lessons of helping those in need.

Rating:
Summary: Tears of the Sun-Not Bad By My Standards
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Tears for Fears.
Review: Before seeing TEARS OF THE SUN, I had read several really negative critical reviews about TEARS OF THE SUN. In my experience, I have found that most critics don't know squat about good movies and since I enjoy war movies and movies with Bruce Willis, I thought I would enjoy TEARS OF THE SUN. Though the movie has some touching scenes and is highly patriotic (portraying the gallant bravery of America's fighting forces), the film failed to move me. Bruce's character's attraction to the young widowed doctor he saves detracted too much from the plot (what little of it there was). The film is definitely an after-SAVING PRIVATE RYAN film because of the graphic and realistic violence and bloodshed. However, TEARS fails where RYAN succeeded because the film fails let the audience emphatize with it's characters. Nevertheless, with it's faults, TEARS is still better than many other films currently being shown and produced. Also, with it's strong message of patriotism, it's worth watching to remind us of our troops and the struggles they face in every conflict.

Rating:
Summary: Worth Seeing
Review: This is not your typical shoot-em-up Bruce Willis action movie. Yes, there is a decent amount of shooting and a bit of blow-em-up at the end, but guns and explosions are not the focus in this movie. This is a movie about what happens to Americans when they see 'ethnic cleansing' first hand. It is quite somber throughout and action fans would say 'somewhat boring', but it is definitely worth seeing.

Bruce plays a veteran US Navy SEAL team leader who has just returned from a mission when he and his team are sent back out on an urgent mission into Nigeria to rescue a female American missionary doctor whose facility is soon to be overrun by 'ethnic cleansing'. Bruce and his team are no nonsense types who just want to get missions done and get on home, but when they start to see the merciless, bloody results of ethnic cleansing, they can't get this out of their minds as they journey into a variation of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". Bruce broods often and appears tormented by the biblical maxim of "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins" as he weighs the simple plan of getting the doctor and getting out with the pleas of the helpless natives. The choices he then makes unleashes him and his team into a torrent of drawn out human drama.

This is not a happy, smiley movie. It wasn't intended to be. It is an innovative way to help viewers to get an idea of what this distant thing Americans read of in the newspapers called "ethnic cleansing" really is. It's primary fault is that it does have a bit of cliches mixed in, but these do not take away from the value of getting 'comfortable' Westerners to understand again that the World out there can be a brutal place. If you don't see it at the theater, definitely pick it up on video. It may well provoke some discussions afterwards if you watch it with a group. Give it a try.

Rating:
Summary: Tears of the Sun: POW
Review: This film starts out nicely, with a covert insertion of a Special Forces team led by Willis to get a doctor out of the path of homicidal Nigerian rebels. Then you get slapped with the first dose of "Give me a break!" when the doctor, true to her cliched character, demands that the special forces team either takes everyone in the hospital (workers and patients) or nobody. Still, you can forgive that romantic plotflaw and keep on enjoying the movie. That is, until the director slaps you in the face with sugarcoated moral lessons that you should be taking with you (as if they weren't obvious enough). Willis takes a minute in the jungle to allow his men to reflect, with rebel forces inching closer and closer, on why the mission is so important to them. One of them no longer sees the Nigerian people as objects, one of them claims ancestry to them since he is African-American, and the junk just keeps getting piled on. Finally, once we get to the end of the movie, you get to see lots of neat air support wipe out the onslaught of rebel forces and everyone lives happily ever after. Not only is the movie not believable, but it isn't remotely close to how things would actually go down on a mission of this sort.

Rating:
Summary: A dissapointment, but still decent
Review: I have to say that i expected more from Tears of the Sun. I figured it would be like Black Hawk Down. I didnt think there were enough action scenes, i mean i understand that the seals arent always caught in crossfire but i thought it moved slow and I also thought it was unlikely that the 8 Seals would save all those refugees. The last scene with the jets is the best. Overall a decent movie. Dissapointing though

Rating:
Summary: Excellent up-to-date war movie.
Review: After watching the trailer for this movie on the internet, I couldn't wait to get to the theater and watch this movie. Just the idea of watching an actual Navy SEAL mission sounded awesome. I was not dissapointed. This film is incredible. It is a perfect example of an elite US Special Operations team. They are the Best of the Best.

I can understand someone who is not real into the military not liking this, but I loved it. Also, people might frown at the fact that a platoon leader would change an actual mission because that would never happen. Other than that, this movie is very realistic. When was the last time you actually saw grenades not hit people in a war movie? Never. I have seen this movie 3 times and it got better every time I saw it.

Critics who graded this movie low need to a grade it on it's genre, a war movie. Do not compare it to Chicago because that is a drama. Grade it on how good of a war movie it is. If someone can not handle life and is afraid of violence, then that could be another reason they graded it low. But that is what it is like in Africa. Get use to it.

I thought the actors in this movie did a great job, especially Bruce Willis and Johnny Messner. They must of had actual Navy SEALs on the spot helping them with what they should do. I would say that this movie and Black Hawk Down are the 2 best up-to-date war movies ever made. If you are a fan of the military, this is totally worth checking out.

Rating:
Summary: Another abhorrent onslaught on Africa: Repudiating Tears...
Review: Tears of the Sun is another attempt by Hollywood to nurture the notion held by not few Americans that Africa is one huge jungle, where man and beast live in close proximity, and whose people are incapable of conducting the business of government without resorting to wanton massacre. Of course, it's largely a matter of capitalism: Hollywood churns out features that sell, and features that align themselves with romanticized notions happen to sell very well. It's a matter of giving people what they want, what reaffirms their smug convictions, and whatever makes them declare in self-adulation, "there goes us but for the grace of God."

In the pathetic feature, an African nation is presented as a massive forest (which, coincidentally, fits snugly into the West's notion of Africa). "Nigerian" politics is reduced to a primordial tribal bloodbath perpetuated by the "Fulanis" against the "Ibos."

Supposedly, the "Ibo" President (who, it appears, holds a part time job as a "tribal king" of sorts) is murdered by "Fulani rebels." His son, who is "heir" to "the throne," suddenly becomes the burden of the US Navy SEALS dispatched to extract an American doctor from the "hostile" region. The juxtaposition of "presidency" and "tribal kingship" in one single man is an anachronism, an eccentricity, and an aberration. It is ridiculous, to say the least. Nigerian politics, I am sure, is far more sophisticated than portrayed, and the variant of tribal politics depicted would have been better ascribed to another place and time.

In the end, we are left with the impression that, once again, the Westerner has succeeded in saving the African from himself, as the helicopters rise in messianic ascension into the clouds. Indeed, the very scene was reminiscent of Jesus Christ himself ascending into heaven after saving wretched man from his sins.

Tears of the Sun does nothing but unleash a demeaning onslaught on an African nation, and unflattering abuse on the minds of a generation of Americans, with misrepresentations of the social and political realities in today's Africa.

The movie has no tangible morals, hinges on warped principles, and would be receiving a charitable assessment if it were compared to, say, Commando. Tears of the Sun is, to put it as it is, a lie.

My only regret is that my $...goes towards enriching a band of lying connivers.

Rating:
Summary: Not a great movie
Review: Tears of the Sun will probably not be one of those movies that will be discussed fervently 20 or even 10 years from now. It follows the prototype of the military thriller pretty well even though its title and real vids of ethnic cleansing may indicate that it wants to be something more.

Bruce Willis plays the leader of an elite squad of U.S. marines who are inserted into the guerilla infested jungle of Africa. Their mission is to rescue Dr. Lena Kendrix, who is not surprisingly not willing to go, proclaiming, "what about my people" which sounds oddly like Moses. What ensues hereafter is scenes of action and the squad wondering why their leader suddenly had a change of heart.

Hollywood likes to end its movies with a big bang, and its no different here of course. This film could have been a whole lot better if the last battle did not happen and Bruce Willis being carried by members of his squad because it does manage to squeeze the cliches in.

Overall, however, I did find it possible to enjoy a film like this. The most interesting scenes of the movie are the ones involving ethnic cleansing and the rest are just icing on the cake.