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Tears of the Sun (2003)

 -  Action | Drama | Thriller  -  7 March 2003 (USA)
6.5
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Ratings: 6.5/10 from 64,394 users   Metascore: 48/100
Reviews: 384 user | 141 critic | 36 from Metacritic.com

Bruce Willis plays a Special-Ops commander who leads his team into the jungle of Nigeria to rescue a doctor played by Monica Belluci who will only go with them if they agree to rescue 70 refugees too.

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Title: Tears of the Sun (2003)

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Ellis 'Zee' Pettigrew
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Charles Ingram ...
Demetrius 'Silk' Owens
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Colonel Idris Sadick
Awaovieyi Agie ...
Musa
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Patience
Hadar Busia-Singleton ...
Amaka
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Lasana
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Storyline

Navy SEAL Lieutenant A.K. Waters and his elite squadron of tactical specialists are forced to choose between their duty and their humanity, between following orders by ignoring the conflict that surrounds them, or finding the courage to follow their conscience and protect a group of innocent refugees. When the democratic government of Nigeria collapses and the country is taken over by a ruthless military dictator, Waters, a fiercely loyal and hardened veteran is dispatched on a routine mission to retrieve a Doctors Without Borders physician, Dr. Lena Kendricks. Dr. Kendricks, an American citizen by marriage, is tending to the victims of the ongoing civil war at a Catholic mission in a remote village. When Waters arrives, however, Dr. Kendricks refuses to leave unless he promises to help deliver the villagers to political asylum at the nearby border. If they are left behind, they will be at the mercy of the enormous rebel army. Waters is under strict orders from his commanding officer ... Written by Sujit R. Varma

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

refugee | rebel | jungle | rescue | nigeria | See more »

Taglines:

The only thing necessary for evil the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. See more »

Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong war violence, some brutality and language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

7 March 2003 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Hostile Act  »

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,034,856 (Spain) (21 November 2003)

Gross:

$1,825,961 (Spain) (5 December 2003)
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Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

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Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The story is based on a mission of the Canadian Joint Task Force Two (JTF2) that took place in Colombia. An ex-member of the commando wrote the original story and suggested it when he met the production team of Executive Decision on a set in Nevada. See more »

Goofs

In the final battle when the SEALs are retreating to the Cameroon border, Navy SEALs would never get that separated from each other in that situation to the point where they would have to ask who is where and what their status was. Getting that far apart compromises all small unit tactics that SEALs are taught and the team would loose total combat effectiveness. Though they would still use air support, Navy SEALs would never make themselves that vulnerable. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Female news reader: [voiceover] The tension that had been brewing for months in Nigeria exploded yesterday as exiled General Mustafa Yakubu orchestrated a swift and violent coup against the democratically elected government of President Samuel Azuka. In a land with 120 million people and over 250 ethnic groups, there'd been a long-standing history of ethnic enmity, particularly between the Fulani Moslems in the north and Christian Ibo in the south. The victorious Fulani rebels have taken to the streets...
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Connections

References Code Name: Wild Geese (1984) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Servicable, though the human angle is undernourished
17 January 2004 | by (Victoria, BC) – See all my reviews

It's not hard to see why John Woo was attached to this project for a while - it has a lot of similarities to his earlier (and underrated) movie HEROES SHED NO TEARS. (The intense climax, in fact, feels extremely John Woo-ish.) I can only wonder what it would have been like had he been in control... though considering the general quality of his American movies, maybe that might not have been a good thing. Anyway, the movie as it is ends up being not bad. It's paced pretty well, and even though there's not that many action scenes (though they are all well-staged), it's never boring, and that fact will be enough for most people. The biggest weakness is that the characters are not very strong - Willis' character hardly says that much and you don't get a feel for his character, Bellucci's statements and actions eventually resemble that of a broken record, and the rebel commander pursuing the protagonists is given no personality at all. But if you are looking for more for jungle action, look for HEROES SHED NO TEARS. And if you are looking more for this kind of thing with more of a human element (though no less exciting) to it, seek the equally underrated DARK OF THE SUN.


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