Tears of the Sun (2003)

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.

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writers:

Alex Lasker, Patrick Cirillo

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Cole Hauser, Monica Bellucci

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 ...

---

Plot Keywords:

refugee | nigeria | civil war | rescue mission | murder of a priest | 

---

Taglines:

He was trained to follow orders. He became a hero by defying them.

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong war violence, some brutality and language

Details

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 USA:

$17,057,213, 9 March 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$43,734,876

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$42,733,286

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:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While filming aboard the U.S.S. Truman in 2002, ship's personnel were used for the uncredited roles of embassy staff evacuees. The casting director had a hard time finding older people for the portrayals of embassy staff. Among those cast as embassy staff personnel, was the U.S.S. Truman's Senior Medical Officer.

---

Goofs

The planes providing air support are seen carrying two infrared air-to-air missiles (AIM-9M Sidewinders) and four radar-guided air-to-air missiles (AIM-120 AMRAAM) each, neither of which can be used against ground targets. Even if they could, the effect would not be significant against an enemy concentration of such size. The explosions in the movie look more like an incendiary weapon of some kind though, which is not what they were carrying.

---

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...

---

Crazy Credits

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke

---

Connections

Referenced in The Big Box: The Ritz (2009)

---

Soundtracks

The Jablonsky Variations On A Theme By HZ / Cameroon Border Post
Vocals by Lebo M., Lisa Gerrard
Written by Lebo M. [Cameroon Border Post]
Written by Steve Jablonsky
Violin: Hugh Marsh
Guitar: Heitor Pereira
Cello: Martin Tillman
Composed by Hans Zimmer
(p) © 2003 Revolution Studios Distribution Company, LLC.

User Reviews

Very worthwhile movie...give it a try.

Hmmm...where do I start? Should I point out to a recent reviewer, who sarcastically pointed out that Nigeria has an air force and could have bombed the group fleeing through the jungle, that the "bad guys" are rebels, not government forces? Since the rebels just killed everyone in the President's family, they probably scared off the government pilots, too. (Sorry...couldn't resist.)

And since when was a movie so horribly, horribly bad because it couldn't be filmed in the actual location? So what if this was filmed somewhere other than Nigeria? And so what if the music was not "authentic Nigerian music"? I don't remember a title card at the beginning of the movies saying it's a National Geographic documentary.

This is a good movie. Less action than many war movies and less thought than some political dramas. There are good and bad people of all races. There's tension and there are explosions and gunfire. There is ample opportunity to reflect on what mankind is capable of doing to each other for political reasons.

Give it a chance and I think you'll enjoy it. Better yet, I think you'll be sombered by it.