Tears of the Sun (Special Edition)

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While it offers nothing new to the military action genre, Tears of the Sun distinguishes itself with fine acting, expert craftsmanship, and seriousness of purpose. Its familiar "extraction mission" plot is essentially similar to that of Black Hawk Down, involving a crack team of U.S. Special Ops commandos struggling to rescue innocent missionaries amidst the bloody horror of Nigerian ethnic cleansing. With Bruce Willis as their grizzled, no-nonsense commander, the skillful team enters a hot zone that gets even hotter when their "package"--an American national (Monica Bellucci) who runs the isolated mission--demands that 70 Nigerian villagers be included in the rescue. Willis's uneasy conscience leads him to defy orders and expand his mission, and in an ambitious follow up to Training Day, director Antoine Fuqua escalates tension and strike-force with considerable emotional impact. Originally considered as a potential entry in Willis's Die Hard series, and released on the eve of America's war with Iraq, Tears of the Sun admirably avoids jingoism with its rousing story of personal good vs. political evil. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Into The Heart of the Darkness..........2007-08-25

2003's "Tears of the Sun" was released just prior to the start of the current war in Iraq; the timing and its setting in a civil war-torn Nigeria probably denied it the attention this well-crafted and tough-minded movie deserved.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, "Tears of the Sun" features Bruce Willis as a Navy SEAL team Lieutenant and Monica Belluci as the American missionary doctor his team is sent to rescue. The setting is yet another non-combatant evacuation of American citizens from a troubled African country. As with any military mission, there are rules of engagement. Willis's boss, a crusty Navy Admiral nicely played by Tom Skerrit, tells the SEALs to get in, rescue the American, and get out without becoming involved in the local conflict.

Willis's team saddles up, enters the jungle by helicopter, locates the mission and the American doctor, and encounters their first complication. The doctor refuses to leave without the Nigerian refugees in her care, who will be slaughtered by rebel militia if left behind. The war-weary but compassionate SEAL leader elects to defy his orders and try to escort the refugees to safety at the nearest land border.

Thus begins a grim journey, as the SEALs shepard the refugees through a gauntlet of jungle infested by murderous rebel militia, repeatedly betrayed by a traitor among the refugees. The SEALs will demonstrate their combat skills in a series of battles with the militia, motivated by their growing empathy for the refugees.

Fuqua's direction is fast-paced; the action sequences are often brutal but adroitly staged. Willis is stoic and entirely believable as the SEAL team leader; the sarcasm of "Die Hard's" John McClane would have been inappropriate here. The conflict between Willis and his boss over the rules of engagement looks contrived in the face of the admiral's repeated efforts to help the SEAL team, but the real message may have been intended for those political leaders who averted their eyes from bloodbaths like Rhwanda in an earlier time.

This movie is well-recommended as an above-average action thriller with emotional content.

Tears of the Sun Cries for Action!.......2007-07-29

Tears of the Sun ranks as one of my favorites in my DVD collection as being one of the most beautiful filmed movie and action/adventure thrill ride with well casted Good and Bad guys that never lets up. Well written and directed by the director of Training Day and the newer Shooter, the screenplay was above average too.

But I didn't give it a 5-star rating becuase I wanted to see more of the Bad guys. They looked mean and colorful, but they were never delved into. I like books and movies where the bad guy's characters are covered, making them more interesting.

But Tears of the Sun will not only thrill you, but also horrify you at how realistic the approach is to the reality of this situation in Africa.

Apalling racist claptrap.......2007-07-18

Having chosen to set it in a real country, Nigeria, the movie then proceeds to play Nigerians as 'bad, evil' people who will commit atrocities because they can; the breakaway Igbo people as inherently good, but in need of protection from Americans; the last member of the Igbo royal family (the Igbo do not have a royal family) as a snivelling coward, until given a stiff talking to by Bruce Willis, helping turn him into a man; the Igbo desperate to assure the Americans that they are good people who will never be forgotten; and the Americans defenders of right against wrong.

Solid Entertainment.......2007-06-15

This was a good enough movie - pretty solid acting, entertaining in most spots. However, I noticed this movie wasn't filmed anywhere near Africa -it was filmed on the island of Kauai (pretty tough eh?)

A Better Version.......2007-06-13

This Director's Extended Cut is much better than the theatrical release. This version places the film in a more understandble political context in Nigeria than merely rebel troops running after "indigenous" personnel. The Director's cut added scenes which explains how the story unfolded as oppose to a mere military action flick in the theatrical release.

The Patriot Pack (The Patriot Special Edition / Tears Of The Sun Special Edition / Black Hawk Down / Glory)

Average customer rating:

The Patriot Pack (The Patriot Special Edition / Tears Of The Sun Special Edition / Black Hawk Down / Glory)
Starring: Mel Gibson , Heath Ledger , Joely Richardson , Jason Isaacs , and Chris Cooper
Director: Roland Emmerich , Ridley Scott , and Antoine Fuqua
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001LJCMA
Release Date: 2004-04-24

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