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 Tears of the Sun (2003)Rated: R for strong war violence, some brutality and language. Runtime: 130 mins. Director: Antoine Fuqua Writer: Alex Lasker & Patrick Cirillo Tagline: He was trained to follow orders. he became a hero by defying them. Cast: Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci....complete cast Genre: Action/Thriller/Drama Most memorable quote: " A lot of scenarios could happen. I don’t pretend to know them all."
As the object of the rescue mission, the ridiculously beautiful and obviously Italian Dr. Lena Hendricks (Monica Bellucci) refuses to leave without the accompaniment of her entire staff, including all able-bodied patients. Lt. Waters' strict orders are to remove only the doctor and a couple of nuns and priests. In a gross dereliction of duty that would surely result in major disciplinary action, Lt. Waters returns to the evacuation zone and loads the helicopters with as many refugees as will fit. Let's see here, an American officer puts at risk, a dozen or so American soldiers so that he can win the affection of the beautiful woman and rescue a handful of refugees. The notion that an officer would do this to his men, despite a vote of confidence from those soldiers at risk, is absolutely preposterous. We are given no insight into Willis' character and therefore have no understanding as to why he returns to rescue the villagers. That his actions would be considered acceptable and go unpunished by superior officers is absurd and seems as nothing more than an overlooked fact to help move the story along. Lt. Waters, Dr. Bellucci, a handful of soldiers and twenty-or-so villagers head out on foot for the safety of neighboring Cameroon. Along the way we are treated to a few minor twists, some blistering action sequences and we see more out-of-character sympathy and caring from battle toughened American soldiers as they intervene to break up more atrocities inflicted upon the locals. Although the village scenes are quite stirring as we become first hand witnesses to the atrocities, it’s a bit confusing trying to sort out our emotions. We have been spared any historical background about the country, thereby blurring the lines of where we place our alliances. Screenwriters Lasker and Cirillo involve us in the barbarity of the country’s conflict as we see innocents murdered, tortured and raped, yet the lack of a personal identity of Nigeria’s victims forces us to betray our natural sympathy and fall back on the familiarity of the American soldiers. The current agenda of world events will probably have a significant effect on the success of Tears of the Sun. I suspect that many viewers will be inspired by the pro-American slant on the film’s final outcome. But there will also be a following whose “bleeding heart sympathy’ will be enflamed by the undisguised displays of human conscience and passion. It’s interesting to note the progression of the objects of American military intervention in Hollywood throughout the years. We’ve obviously moved past the Germans and the Japanese. The fall of communism takes Russian enemies out of favor. The current sensitivities of the world situation make Arab enemies off limits. African tribal wars and civil conflicts seem to be fair game these days as Americans see it as a far off and distant world with unrecognizable cultures. We can personally process the thought of wiping out thousands of African soldiers without it weighing too hard on our conscience. Tears of the Sun wanted to be more than just another testosterone charged Bruce Willis action flick. Many scenes tear at the heart of even the most battle hardened moviegoers, and the individual fighting sequences are extremely harrowing, But the gross neglect of accuracy, coupled with the confusion of forced emotions make Tears of the Sun just another unconvincing rendition of what Hollywood wants war to be. Tears of the Sun is just another bomb crater on the landscape of missed opportunities. Frank Wilkins Screen formats: Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
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