Tears of the Sun Starring Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci Directed by Antoine Fuqua Rated R for strong war violence, some brutality and language **3/4 out of **** Stars, Movie Grade: B

Theatrical Release: March 7, 2003
Running time: 118 minutes

by Kevin Lang

Those of us who are fortunate enough, or should I say lucky enough, to live in countries without constant war and violence are often unaware and uninformed of what goes on in other less peaceful areas of the world. "Tears of the Sun," directed by Antoine Fuqua, attempted to reveal this to us, and show us realities of the world that many of us would barely be able to grasp. This might unfortunately hurt the film, since many may deem the horrible atrocities shown in the film as unnecessary cinematic displays, only there to grab our attention. I disagree. I think that those of us locked away from the world behind the safety of borders that aren't as safe as we think, need to be made clearly aware of the brutal attacks against humanity that are going on in the world everyday.

Sure, "Tears of the Sun" had its faults. It was predictable at times, the dialogue wasn't scripted extremely well, and the drama was drawn out a little too long as it too obviously tried to tug at our emotions.

The basic plot involved A.K. Waters' (Bruce Willis) Navy Seals unit on a mission to evacuate Dr. Lena Hendricks (Monica Bellucci), a doctor working in a soon to be hostile area of Nigeria. Waters refused to leave behind seventy refugees, and the mission became one to save the people who would otherwise almost surely be put to death by the pursuing enemy soldiers. Waters, Dr. Hendricks and the refugees, and Waters' men attempted to make their way to safety, with other subplots being exposed along the way.

There was an enjoyable amount of suspense that arose as the Seals made their way through the enemy infested jungle. At one moment, a refugee baby's cries almost gave them away as they were only several feet from the enemy. The action was also enjoyable, and the film's final battle sequence was a well-produced depiction of combat that adequately made up for the film's shortcomings.

In the end, if "Tears of the Sun" leaves you at all less than satisfied, just remember that what you saw on the screen is reality for many people of the world, even if it is something that you don't want to think about. I'm referring here to the brutality displayed in the film, which included the rape, murder, and torture of innocent civilians. It is a reality that the news media doesn't like to show, but it is a reality that we need to start opening our eyes to.

"Tears of the Sun" Review written March 6, 2003, CTF.

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