Rating: Summary: 4 1/2 Stars. One of the best SOF movies ever. Review: This movie was far underated by critics and even some fans. This is military termed 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.
Rating: Summary: Disappointing Review: 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.
Rating: Summary: Solid action + crisis of conscience for soldiers story Review: Bruce Willis and his weary, but highly-skilled military go into the Nigerian countryside, during a military coupe/ethnic cleansing, to extract a few missionaries. When they arrive, the female missionary refuses to go unless Willis brings the 70 Nigerian nationals with. Orders are orders, and Willis' team prepares to extract only the woman they have clearance for. However...the horrors of seeing the bloodbath, and the reality of what will happen if Willis obeys his orders overwhelms him, and he chooses another course. What follows is a chase through the countryside that becomes unexpectedly intense. People die, and a few of the nationals are not who they seem to be (for good and evil).Tears of the Sun (a clever title by the way) has strong, bloody action. It moves quickly, and logically. There are a few surprises, but, in the end this is a straight-forward production. The "crisis of conscience" so many reviewers have mentioned actually gets resolved fairly quickly, and as one would expect of a Hollywood production. The action is realistic, and does not glorify the necessary violence--a plus! Willis' brooding is key in this aspect. Bottom-line: Tears of the Sun is a solid action movie, with just enough personal conflict to give it reasonable depth. The Nigerian characters are treated with dignity, and the story ends on a somber, yet optimistic note. I just kept sensing that something was missing. I kept waiting. Was Willis carrying some dark secret about a past mission gone bad? Was the missionary lady somehow involved in the country's politics? (After all, why send a team of highly-skilled soliders to extract one civilian missionary?) Was the U.S. government somehow implicated? Most of those questions went unanswered. A movie that hinted at having almost documentary-type intentions ended up simply a solid action movie + some crisis of conscience stuff that soldiers who see action often go through. Good, strong material--but not *****.
Rating: Summary: A good action ride, but a litlle inaccurate. Review: If you like action-packed adventures with a lot of gun fights and conflict, then this is the movie is for you. It has a lot of scenes where bullets and other weapons are just tearing through everything. A little gorey though, shows stuff that is we are better off not seeing. But since I'm a Navy SEAL buff (not a Navy SEAL, yet.) I think this movie potrays the SEALs in a bad way. It shows them as blood-thirsty, crazy, gun wild, "kill first, ask questions later" group of guys. Anyone who knows anything about the SEALs knows this is not true. For example, a SEAL never leaves another SEAL behind, wounded or dead. In this movie, everytime a SEAL gets killed the team leaves him and then tells the infantry go back and get him. Also, SEALs aren't the type of guys that disobey orders and don't follow the directions. When they're given a mission they complete it without any distractions. If a SEAL team had been in the same situation as the actors in the movie were, well they would of taken who they came for and left. I know it sounds mean but one of the few things this movie does show correctly is that when a commander leads his team off mission, people get killed. In this movie, several SEALs and Nigerian civilians die because of what they did. Anyyway, if you have an extensive knowledge of the military or the SEALs and you watch this movie you will probaly find yourself correcting the mistakes and errors the movie has. I believe the makers of this movie were mainly focused on the conflict the characters will face and what happens instead of who they are. In other words, they build thier own military unit and just give them the title of Navy SEALs. I belive the director should of done some better research on who his actors were potraying.
Rating: Summary: Painful Review: I appreciate the complicated views of people and governments. I was stunned at the exposure of ethnic cleansing in this film. It falls into the list of movies that in my opinion- everyone needs to watch ONCE. I wouldn't want to have to watch it again.
Rating: Summary: Not a bad action flick Review: In a day and age where it seems you can't make a military-themed movie without skewering the armed forces in the process, it's nice to see a film where members of the United States military are unabashedly the good guys. Bruce Willis leads a squad of trained commandos into Africa to extract a doctor there on a mission of mercy. When they find her, however, she refuses to leave without the civilian villagers she came to protect. What follows is the requisite crisis of conscience for the soldiers, Willis in particular, and while it's not particularly fresh or original, it is entertaining for what it is. Not one of the best movies of 2003, but nowhere near the worst, if you like a good military drama with traces of action, this movie is at least worth a rental.
Rating: Summary: Horrific African civil war portrayal Review: Bruce Willis plays Lt. Waters, a hard core, taciturn and ambivalent commander of a U.S. Navy Seal unit assigned to extract American foreign nationals from war torn Nigeria. His mission is to escort an American doctor, played emotionally by Monica Bellucci, who is based in a remote jungle mission. Unfortunately she won't acccompany Willis' team without a group of 70 refugees sheltered at the mission. Willis in a fit of compassion and urged on by Bellucci agrees to escort the rag tag bunch to the safety of neighboring Cameroon. Willis' team and the refugees are being pursued by a murderous band of rebels bent on their destruction. While fleeing they are confronted by horrendous acts of nauseatingly gruesome ethnic cleansing, which bolsters their resolve to complete their mission. Director Antoine Fuqua poignantly creates an excessively graphic allegory portraying the inhuman capablities of man against those perceived as being different or inferior.
Rating: Summary: Take the Ham Cure Review: The only good parts of this movie were the inexplicable and annoyingly intentional shots of Monica Bellucci's cleavage. Acting was way overdone. This movie was boring boring boring. I think the other reviewer was right to say that Bruce Willis acted the movie as if he'd signed the contract without reading the script. Even if you like Bruce W. I would skip this movie.
Rating: Summary: stupid Review: really boring. i hate it. it was over like 20 minutes before we saw the end credits. don't watch it. i should tell you that bruce wilis is not the best actor.
Rating: Summary: WOW Review: As you have probably learned already what this movie is all about from so many reviews - I have an urge to add that this movie SHOWS American's what they really are and that is CARING towards all other people with only one agenda in their minds. Helping the oppressed to make the world a better place. There are no coincidences! So, GO U.S.A., I am not surprised you're a superpower. The Good always WIN, no matter what.
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