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| Tears of the Sun |
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  (6/10)
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Runtime: 118 |
| Public Rating: 6.81 (67 votes) |
Director: Antoine Fuqua |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Action/Drama/War |
Year: 2003 |
| Writer(s): Alex Lasker, Patrick Cirillo |
| Distributor: Columbia Pictures |
| Reviewed by: Dick Douglas |
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In Antoine Fuqua’s directorial follow up to the Academy Award winning Training Day, he tackles the controversial topic of US involvement in foreign affairs. This particular scenario is set in modern day Nigeria, where guerrilla rebels are practicing genocide for the purposes of “ethnic cleansing” and to dethrone the royal presidential family.
Lieutenant Waters (Bruce Willis) and his team of elite Navy SEALs are charged with rescuing Doctor Kendricks (Monica Bellucci) and three clergy from a mission at an endangered location soon to be overrun by hostile rebels. The SEAL team infiltrates their target, locate the package and begin extraction. Much to the chagrin of the team, Dr. Kendricks refuses to leave unless her refugees can come with. Waters obliges her, although the clergy and the sick and injured stay to await the inevitable slaughter.
Upon reaching the extraction point, Waters and his team force the doctor on the rescue helicopter and leave without the civilians. Waters has a change of heart in mid-flight upon seeing the mission in flames from above and decides to go back for the helpless refugees. The journey to safety unfolds as the group travels on foot, with a subtle and completely unnecessary bit of sexual tension (and dialogue) between Waters and Kendricks. There is also a very important, yet unlikely revelation that one of the helpless civilians is in fact the sole heir to the presidential throne, and the reason that a mob of guerrillas are pursuing them diligently and without mercy.
The action, camera work and scenery are top notch. Fuqua portrays the land, the battles and the sheer terror of these people’s lives in such a raw, graphic way that you can’t help but understand why the SEAL team and Waters in particular is disobeying a direct order for the sake of humanity. The film is fairly true to its form up until the last battle, where all realism goes out the window for a more conventional Hollywood ending. The film raises the eternal question of morality and humanity during conflict and maintains a patriotic sense of American superiority throughout, which may cause some resentment and unease among international audiences.
The major flaw lies in the film’s final battle scenes. Overdramatic acting and cliché military verbiage ruins an otherwise fine film with a tremendous message hidden deep within the blockbuster action flick shell. The performances are well done, but not particularly memorable except for a supporting role by Cole Hauser who plays the demolitions expert with a steely, thoughtful glare. Fuqua picked a good movie to follow up Training Day with, but he seemed to run out of steam as the integrity fell apart towards the end. It was a valiant effort and I have a premonition that Antoine Fuqua will progress in his directorial career to the caliber of Michael Bay. I would recommend this for the action alone, but the scenery and camera work is nice too.
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