Movie Reviews

Tears of the Sun stars Bruce Willis as Lt. Waters, the leader of an elite group of American special forces who have been ordered to enter into a hostile area of Nigeria and extract an American aid-worker to safety. The film doesn't spend too much time on story; all of the background we need to know is contained in a short television-news-like segment at the beginning of the film, and in a short military briefing scene, where we watch as an army general outlines the orders and rules of the mission.

In this sense, Tears of the Sun is more like a technical exercise in action and military filming. There's a small amount of characterization, however, particular with Lt. Waters. He begins as someone committed only to his mission, but grows into someone who cares for the aid-worker he's rescuing, as well as the group of Nigerian refugees that she demands be allowed to come along with them. Bruce Willis does a really good job of communicating this change, even though he doesn't say very much throughout the film.

I liked how the special forces dudes all worked together so well, and it was pretty impressive watching such a small group of them clear out an entire village of 'evil' Nigerian rebels. Thankfully there was no "loose-cannon" among the special forces to add any sort of lame dramatic side-story. No crazy shell-shocked renegades who turn against the rest of the group here; just dangerous, coordinated army guys who do their job very well.

Tears of the Sun tries to inject some kind of message about how 'inaction in the face of evil' can be worse than the 'evil' itself, but this message seemed like something of an afterthought. If you're not too concerned about plot or deep messages, and you just want to see a good, technical war movie, you should probably watch Black Hawk Down. Then after that, maybe check out Tears of the Sun.