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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

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

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The popular video game character Soap from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was modeled after Lake from this movie.

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Goofs

When Dr. Kendricks is injured and lying on the ground she brings her hand to her head in a close up as she speaks to Waters, but long and medium shots show her with her arm down.

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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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Crazy Credits

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

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Alternate Versions

DVD Director's Extended Cut is 142 minutes (theatrical version 121 minutes).

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Connections

Referenced in The Hunt (2020)

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Soundtracks

Yekeleni Part I / Mia's Lullabye
Vocals by Lebo M., Lisa Gerrard
Written by Lisa Gerrard, Steve Jablonsky [Mia's Lullaby]
Written by Heitor Pereira, Lebo M. [Yekeleni Part I]

User Reviews

Americans who give a f***

If you get past the whole unbelievable parts, and into the story itself, its a damn good movie. Bruce Willis is always a good actor in intense situation movies, with his straight face, spunk, and how is natural charm always gets the girl. The supporting cast was stupendous, and I really felt for the africans in the movie. 7.6 out of 10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 March 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hostile Act

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,057,213, 9 March 2003

Gross USA:

$43,734,876

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$86,468,162

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