Tränen der Sonne (2003)

Tränen der Sonne: Directed by Antoine Fuqua. With Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser, Eamonn Walker. A Special-Ops commander leads his team into the Nigerian jungle in order to rescue a doctor who will only join them if they agree to save 70 refugees too.

“7.5 out of 10u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTears of the Sun is hardly perfect. Director Antoine Fuquau0026#39;s direction can get a bit heavy-handed and most of the characters are one to two-dimensional in development (understandable, given the large cast). But itu0026#39;s a solidly made, often thrilling and sometimes thought-provoking film that aims for serious issues, particularly as a sober outlook of modern warfare and morals. Itu0026#39;s not entirely successful at the latter, but to even attempt to stray from typical Hollywood is admirable, and Tears of the Sun is often more hit than miss.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBruce Willis stars as A.K. Waters, the head of a mission to retrieve a Dr. Lena Hendricks (Monica Bellucci) from the Nigerian jungle, after Muslim rebels have just assassinated the presidential family, and are on a rampage throughout the country. Hendricks is located easily, but she will only leave so long as all able-bodied individuals on her mission can come along. Waters reluctantly agrees, but soon finds that he and his group must trek the jungles with no assistance and with 300 Nigerian soldiers hot on their trail.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTears of the Sun works as a thoughtful film, but is more successful as a tension-builder. Director Fuqua shows an able hand at building suspense to a feverish pitch, all the way to the concluding battle sequence, a fifteen minute setpiece that rivals any recent war film in both intensity and technical superiority. The other major action setpiece is a tense shootout in a village, the aftermath of which is disturbing in its revelation of the rebelsu0026#39; treatment of civilians. Tears of the Sun is a violent film, but never exploitative in its approach. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe filmu0026#39;s two best developed characters belong to Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci. Willis has always been a fine actor, this understated approach has worked for him before and fits like a glove here. Iu0026#39;m not quite as familiar with Bellucci, who Iu0026#39;ve only seen in Brotherhood of the Wolf and as one of the brides in Bram Stokeru0026#39;s Dracula, but sheu0026#39;s quite good here, easily the filmu0026#39;s anchor when it comes to heart and warmth. Iu0026#39;m certainly not exaggerating when I say sheu0026#39;s one of the most beautiful (and bodacious) women to ever grace the screen (and I look forward to her in the upcoming Matrix sequels). u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere are flaws, such as the rather obtrusive musical score and some pretentious use of slow motion on Fuquau0026#39;s behalf. The filmu0026#39;s biggest narrative stumble comes with a plot twist 3/4u0026#39;s through the movie, when an extraneous plot twist is revealed. Admittedly, without the twist, the film wouldnu0026#39;t have been able to build up as much suspense, much less deliver that final battle. But when all is said and done, Tears of the Sun is highly recommended, a Hollywood film that has more on its mind than explosion and gunfights (which the movie still has an ample amount of).”