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Tears of the Sun

Tears of the Sun

List Price: $19.94
Your Price: $17.95
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent action - intriguing story
Review: Willis and his soldiers are chased through the Nigerian Jungle. This is an edge of your seat, could it be true movie.

It is touching, discusting at times, yet moving as they flee to the nearest border crossing to safety.

The movie has many twists and turns and defines a new way to see war up close and personal.

There are many issues that are challenging to the audience. Just how much intervention is needed by a free people? What can we do to help a world if and when in crisis?

I recommend this movie because it seems so real, potentially true.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great War Movie for Both Men and Women
Review: This is a war movie. It reminded me, in ways of some of the war movies of Vietnam, such as Casualties of War, except that it was far less violent. Rapes are hinted at, but not graphically shown. I was pleased not to be overwhelmed with bad language, as some films do. People are brutally killed, but not every graphic detail is shown. I thought it was appropriate in what it showed. A good war movie, but not out to super-shock the audience. This movie tries instead to entertain, and succeeds well. Both my husband and I really enjoyed the acting by Bruce Willis. The movie has plenty of action, but doesn't overdo it, concentrating on the drama of trying to rescue doctors and missionaries from a clinic. Instead, the main doctor won't leave without all her patients coming along. Bruce Willis tricks her by telling her they will take the patients, only to grab her, and leave the patients behind. He then changes his mind, against his commander's will, and he and his team are then on their own to try to walk everyone through the jungle to safety, showing all of their numerous difficulties along the way.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: What Can I Say, it's Bruce Willis...
Review: ...if you expect one of his movies to become a classic or even critically acclaimed, you're deluding yourself. The guy is Sylvester Stallone without the dopey looks and speech impediment. If all you want is another brainless, poorly scipted action flick, this is as good as any. Ra Ra, Go USA.

Die Hard indeed. He needs to take early retirement (although Unbreakable was decent... the only decent one in recent memory, actually). : )

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: TEARS OF THE SUN...4 STARS
Review: I DONT WATCH MOVIES FOR POLITICAL COMMENT OR OPINION; I WATCH FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND THIS MOVIE, IN MY OPINION, ENTERTAINS. BRUCE WILLIS PLAYS A CRUSTY,GET-THE-MISSION-DONE SEAL TEAM LEADER WHO IS, BECAUSE OF CIRCUMSTANCES, FORCED TO RE-EVALUATE A FEW PRIORITIES. ARTISTIC FREEDOM IS EXERCISED WITH RESPECT TO HOW AN EXTRADITION MISSION BY AN AMERICAN SPECIAL OPS TEAM IS ACTUALLY CONDUCTED INCLUDING ORDERS TO BE FOLLOWED, BUT THIS MOVIE IS, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, AN ENTERTAINMENT VEHICLE AND NOT A TRAINING FILM OR DOCUMENTARY. TWO THUMBS UP!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A morality tale soaked in blood and tears
Review: Suggestion: watch the 'making of' with the director's comments first and then watch the movie. You'll see that the director (fuqua- from training day) was aiming (no pun intended) for: it's considerably more than just an action movie.

This movie is a sad indictment of the savagery and genocide that afflicts Africa and the extremes that some of these power hungry lunatics go. This is extreme terror close up for some of the people, especially in this little corner of Nigeria.

A lot of poeple heard muslim in the movie's premise (since Nigeria's official religion is Islam- it's funny how islam has been perverted from a religion of peace and tolerance and equality from it's inception to what it is today in some places of the world...) and thought 'ah a rah-rah shoot-em up with revenge and muslim butt kicking in the mind'. But that doesn't wash- not even close (makes me wonder if the people who said that even understood what they were watching?? Or simple just transfering their prejudices and desires onto the movie and then trying to disavow them by denigrating the movie). Nor does it glorify the american military and cast it as the global policeman. That is such a simplistic analysis. Watch the bit in the clearing when the helicopters land and then leave and you'll see what I mean about the US military NOT being the unabashed, unreserved saviours of the good and the right. They do job they are told (very well!).

Willis, in hard faced mode- playing the role to perfection- contrary to orders, makes 'the mistake of starting to give a f--k' as his character puts it. And rather than leave a bunch of helpless civilians from a mission to the rebels chasing them, decides to escore them into nearby Cameroon primarily because the american civilian he and his navy seals are there to extarct refuses to go without them. And this is the crux of the movie: the chase (if the simplisitic viewpoint is to be accepted, then the Seals would stand and fight and kill all the badg uys and all live happily every after, basking in their glory as victors- whihc certainly doesn't happen...not even close)

There are times in the movie when you will wonder how so called human beings can do the things to each other that you are shown and are infered by what remains (this movie doesn't pull too many punches). The segement in the village is really, really tragic and grim and has zero glorification of violence and heroism, other than doing what needs to be done. Because doing nothing is complicity of the worst kind. Willis' character and his men aren't 'americans' or 'heroes' when they do what they do...rather just humans protecting humanity. Those who called this movie some sort of glorification of all things American: freedom, justice, liberty, etc. missed the point. This movie is about humans and those who aren't. And the fact that sometimes you have to make a stand, regardless of who you are or where you're from. There are no nationalities this close to the sharp end of ethinic cleansing, genocide and rape. The affront is just too great for that.

I personally thought this was an excellent movie. The only downside: speachifying at the end got a bit nauseating, and detracts from the movie to some extent (-1 star). As does the actions of Tom Skeritt's character in the finale (just a bit too schmaltzy for my liking). Otherwise, this is a very good movie. There is no artistic posturing like The Thin Red Line, nor is it pure war like Saving Private Ryan, or confused mayhem like Black Hawk Down. Rather a fairly linear chase through the darkest side of humanity with a significant body count (nobody is spared), times of extreme violence and war, where nobody escapes unscathed and unchanged, if they escape at all. There are some extremely powerful moments in this movie: my favorite (no, that isn't the word), the most moving: the old man weeping outside the village.

Excellent cast featuring Willis and Monica Bellucci (Persephone from the Matrix reloaded, revolutions) with the sultry eyes and sexy voice. And good supporting cast- the africans were played by refugees from the Sudan (another nightmare).

ALl in all, a well made movie, a good story and a disturbing study of man's inhumanity to people, all in the name of greed and ideology, religion and powerlust. There is no glory. No flag waving. Plenty of heroism that is understated, but the tacit acceptance of this heroism by the SEALS is not played upon either. They simply do their job. This isn't 'die hard in the jungle'. This is far too much of a waking nightmare for that. This movie is about sacrifice, peril, loss, suffering and hope.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Worth seeing...
Review: Enjoyable action film...yes there's violence and gore; yes, it portrays the poor, misunderstood rebels without trying to understand them or blame the US for their desire to "kill everyone who doesn't go to the same church." And yes, there are a few things, factually, tactically, as well as plot-wise, that might been done differently or a bit better. But come on! It is fiction! It's an action-adventure flick, not a documentary or a military training film! So relax, and enjoy, the performances are decent; my husband enjoyed seeing Monica Bellucci's breasts bouncing around almost out of her shirt (hey, if you got 'em, flaunt 'em), and I have gained a whole new appreciation for mohawk haircuts! And for those who haven't figured it out yet...there ARE bad guys in the world who hate us and don't care if we understand them or not, there is STILL inter-tribal and ethnic violence occurring in Africa and elsewhere where they DO BAD THINGS TO EACH OTHER. Just ask the "Lost Boys!" Sometimes you just have to decide which side you are going to be on....thank God we have REAL Spec Ops guys that do go out there and take care of business, messy as it may be.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great action...
Review: but a large dose of annoying. Doesn't the doctor know how to button her shirt. Her outfit detracts from her acting ability, if any. Stay for the action or her cleavage.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Tears of the Sun
Review: In my opinion this movie is a plot taken from Air America where Mel Gibson reluctantly has to rescue a bunch of refugees.
In Tears of the Sun the same plot is used.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: "I can't look at 'em like packages anymore."
Review: Antoine Fuqua's "Tears of the Sun" is a film that coasts by on star power. Its story is more bare-boned than a turkey after a Thanksgiving dinner but it rises above mediocrity thanks to the presence of Bruce Willis. Without Willis anchoring the proceedings, this film would have quickly become indistinguishable from other entries in the genre.

An American military unit led by Lieutenant A.K. Waters (Willis) parachutes in hostile Nigerian territory to retrieve Dr. Lena Kendricks (Monica Bellucci) and a priest and two nuns that she works with. Kendricks is the only one who leaves her post after Waters reluctantly agrees that the refugees under her care can also be evacuated. The refugees, however, are abandoned at the extraction point and left to fend for themselves. Yet, Waters gives in to his conscience on the flight back to his ship and decides to go back and save the refugees from the rebel military force pursuing them despite the fact that his unit is hopelessly outnumbered.

If "Tears of the Sun" is guilty of anything, it is guilty of delivering too many message moments. There is discourse on everything from religion to race to global politics in this film. Oftentimes, matters become perilously close to becoming too heavy-handed, but Willis remains a stabilizing force from beginning to end. He delivers a low-key performance that still comes across as effective thanks to the quiet intensity and sincerity he projects. In contrast, Bellucci is sadly underutilized as her only function in the second half of the film is to set up good comeback lines from Willis. This is a shame because there are strong hints that Willis and Bellucci would have had marvelous chemistry if given better material to work with. Still, even with all its problems - underdeveloped adversaries, drawn-out pacing, and convenient plot developments - "Tears of the Sun" justifies a rental fee.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I realy enjoyed this one.
Review: this was a great movie. Bruce willis at his best. Although the constant complaining from the nurse gets annoying, the stellar cast deliver a brilliant performance.


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