"Tears of the Sun", is a lush, violent and eventually frenetic film by director Antoine Fuqua, set during a fictitious, and particularly bloody, Nigerian civil war. Using elements of the many real civil wars and coups d'état that have plagued Africa, the film develops from a plausible premise. Although it is an action movie overall, with all the blood and gunfire one would expect, "Tears of the Sun" does illustrate (graphically) the brutalities that are uncomfortable realities.
After the democratically elected government of Nigeria is deposed by armed rebels, and the country descends into anarchy, an élite U.S. military unit is dispatched to evacuate four foreign nationals. With Lieutenant Waters (Bruce Willis) at their head, the unit departs for the mission with orders not to engage the militia unless fired upon. The supreme confidence of the men assures the viewer that success is ensured.
Reaching the remote encampment, Waters and his men encounter a recalcitrant Dr. Kendricks (Monica Bellucci) who refuses to leave without 'her people'. Informed by his superiors that her patients could not be assisted, Waters instead deceives Dr. Kendricks, telling her that those who could walk could come. The three Catholic missionaries decline evacuation, even though certain death awaits them. And so, through the jungle they journey to safety with rebels in pursuit.
The plot is quite simplistic, but also inconsistent and, often, annoying. Dr. Kendricks seemingly cannot comprehend that they are in the most immediate danger, consistently protesting that her people need to rest. Even after the group narrowly survives a rebel patrol she complains. Her belligerence is contrary to the overwhelming sense of urgent danger conveyed by the film. Presumably, it serves to generate a tension between her and Waters that ultimately leads nowhere, and certainly not to any romance.
The first half of the film is set almost entirely in the depths of the jungle, as the group moves towards the Cameroon border. It is quite slow-moving and repetitive as the group advances and rests and then proceeds again. The jungle surrounds are lush, thick, wet and dark, and close-ups are prolific as Fuqua attempts to convey a sense of claustrophobia. However, little is done to endear the characters to the viewers. Willis as Waters speaks so scarcely and his portrayal so passive, that instead of appearing curiously enigmatic, he is distant and disinteresting. The neglect of character development during the early part of the film disconnects it somewhat from the latter half. The powerful and percussive African music largely fails to move the viewer, and potentially poignant scenes do not recognise their potential.
The film takes a sudden turn when the group bear witness to an unfolding pogrom. The soldiers, having at this point already committed themselves to aiding Dr. Kendrick's patients, are moved to intervene. Here, "Tears of the Sun" rises above the prevailing mediocrity, if only because of the scenes' sheer grisliness. The audience is successfully shown what is euphemistically termed 'ethnic cleansing'. Fuqua does not shy away from depicting the senseless slaughter and sexual violence that has been inflicted upon innocent peoples. With this scene the soldiers emerge as 'heroes' not because they were obedient, but because they intervened to do the 'right thing'.
The film, from this point, continues in violence and descends into an all-out action film. The ending is reasonably cathartic; the 'bad guys' are crushingly defeated in a display of pyrotechnics worthy of the "Die Hard" franchise, and Waters and the group make it to safety although not without losses. Water's disobedience is vindicated, and the film alludes to its ultimate viewpoint that American, and indeed international, intervention in crises is both desirable and 'right'. That the film begins with a title card of the oft-cited Edmund Burke quotation "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" confirms the film's advocacy of this position. Incidentally, "Tears of the Sun" was released in the lead-up to the Invasion of Iraq. "Tears of the Sun" is a film best appreciated in retrospect.
(S. R. Watson, Flinders University, Adelaide)
After the democratically elected government of Nigeria is deposed by armed rebels, and the country descends into anarchy, an élite U.S. military unit is dispatched to evacuate four foreign nationals. With Lieutenant Waters (Bruce Willis) at their head, the unit departs for the mission with orders not to engage the militia unless fired upon. The supreme confidence of the men assures the viewer that success is ensured.
Reaching the remote encampment, Waters and his men encounter a recalcitrant Dr. Kendricks (Monica Bellucci) who refuses to leave without 'her people'. Informed by his superiors that her patients could not be assisted, Waters instead deceives Dr. Kendricks, telling her that those who could walk could come. The three Catholic missionaries decline evacuation, even though certain death awaits them. And so, through the jungle they journey to safety with rebels in pursuit.
The plot is quite simplistic, but also inconsistent and, often, annoying. Dr. Kendricks seemingly cannot comprehend that they are in the most immediate danger, consistently protesting that her people need to rest. Even after the group narrowly survives a rebel patrol she complains. Her belligerence is contrary to the overwhelming sense of urgent danger conveyed by the film. Presumably, it serves to generate a tension between her and Waters that ultimately leads nowhere, and certainly not to any romance.
The first half of the film is set almost entirely in the depths of the jungle, as the group moves towards the Cameroon border. It is quite slow-moving and repetitive as the group advances and rests and then proceeds again. The jungle surrounds are lush, thick, wet and dark, and close-ups are prolific as Fuqua attempts to convey a sense of claustrophobia. However, little is done to endear the characters to the viewers. Willis as Waters speaks so scarcely and his portrayal so passive, that instead of appearing curiously enigmatic, he is distant and disinteresting. The neglect of character development during the early part of the film disconnects it somewhat from the latter half. The powerful and percussive African music largely fails to move the viewer, and potentially poignant scenes do not recognise their potential.
The film takes a sudden turn when the group bear witness to an unfolding pogrom. The soldiers, having at this point already committed themselves to aiding Dr. Kendrick's patients, are moved to intervene. Here, "Tears of the Sun" rises above the prevailing mediocrity, if only because of the scenes' sheer grisliness. The audience is successfully shown what is euphemistically termed 'ethnic cleansing'. Fuqua does not shy away from depicting the senseless slaughter and sexual violence that has been inflicted upon innocent peoples. With this scene the soldiers emerge as 'heroes' not because they were obedient, but because they intervened to do the 'right thing'.
The film, from this point, continues in violence and descends into an all-out action film. The ending is reasonably cathartic; the 'bad guys' are crushingly defeated in a display of pyrotechnics worthy of the "Die Hard" franchise, and Waters and the group make it to safety although not without losses. Water's disobedience is vindicated, and the film alludes to its ultimate viewpoint that American, and indeed international, intervention in crises is both desirable and 'right'. That the film begins with a title card of the oft-cited Edmund Burke quotation "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" confirms the film's advocacy of this position. Incidentally, "Tears of the Sun" was released in the lead-up to the Invasion of Iraq. "Tears of the Sun" is a film best appreciated in retrospect.
(S. R. Watson, Flinders University, Adelaide)