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:

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

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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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The length of Red's hair changes from short to medium length when they cross into the border at the end of the film.

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Goofs

In one scene, the Captain of the USS HST is talking on a Radio to the SEALS while on the flight deck near the Landing Zone. As he's talking a E-2 Hawkeye is landing behind him. Although he is allowed in that area, he is not wearing a Cranial Helmet which is required during all Flight operations on any Aircraft Carrier. Even as the Skipper, he is not above the safety rules set in place during flight operations.

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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 Micmacs (2009)

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Soundtracks

The Journey / Kopano Part III
Written by [Kopano Part III] Lebo M.
Vocals by Lebo M., Lisa Gerrard (background vocals)
Violin by' Hugh Marsh'
Guitar by Heitor Pereira
Cello by Martin Tillman
(p) © 2003 Revolution Studios Distribution Company, LLC.

User Reviews

Servicable, though the human angle is undernourished

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.