Tears of the Sun (2003)

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.

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writers:

Alex Lasker, Patrick Cirillo

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	Lieutenant A.K. Waters
Monica Bellucci	...	Dr. Lena Fiore Kendricks
Cole Hauser	...	James 'Red' Atkins
Eamonn Walker	...	Ellis 'Zee' Pettigrew
Johnny Messner	...	Kelly Lake
Nick Chinlund	...	Michael 'Slo' Slowenski
Charles Ingram	...	Demetrius 'Silk' Owens
Paul Francis	...	Danny 'Doc' Kelley
Chad Smith	...	Jason 'Flea' Mabry
Tom Skerritt	...	Captain Bill Rhodes
Malick Bowens	...	Colonel Idris Sadick
Awaovieyi Agie	...	Musa
Akosua Busia	...	Patience
Hadar Busia-Singleton	...	Amaka
Ida Onyango	...	Lasana

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

refugee | rebel | jungle | rescue | nigeria | 

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Taglines:

The lives of many rest in the courage of a few.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong war violence, some brutality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 March 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hostile Act

Filming Locations:

Dole Plantation - 64-1550 Kamehameha Highway, Wahiawa, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

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

Gross:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cheyenne Enterprises, Michael Lobell Productions, Revolution Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min 142 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kevin Smith was originally cast to co-star with Bruce Willis as a supporting SEAL team member. Tragically, he died from head injuries sustained from a three story prop tower fall, after his last film Warriors of Virtue 2: Return to Tao wrapped.

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Goofs

When the refugees are hiding in the jungle as the rebels pass, the sound of the baby crying can be heard but the baby doesn't have its mouth open.

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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

Referenced in Getaway: Golden Getaway: Getaway Goes to the Movies (2007)

User Reviews

'War Movie' With A Noble Message

The is a solid "war" movie with U.S. Navy Seals, led by Bruce Willis, rescuing an American doctor and 70 of her patients from war-torn Nigeria. This is violent and bloody n parts but definitely not another "Blackhawk Down" with overdone violence (although I liked Blackhawk Down).

This is beautifully-filmed, artistic in spots. I imagine this would look super on HD with a big plasma TV. The sound is excellent, too.

Critics didn't like this movie. I suspect one big reason is that they are used to seeing films in which Christians are shown as sympathetic victims of persecution. Critics also don't like to see the right thing being exalted.

Willis is perfect for this role as the strong, stone-faced leader. Monica Bellucci could have been a little more likable as the doctor. The story gets a little too melodramatic at the end, but it's tolerable.

This is not a family film by any means, because of the violence, perhaps 20 f- words and a dozen abuses of the Lord's name in vain. Still, an interesting movie with a different slant, and at least has a noble message.