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Tears of the Sun (2003)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
2/25, 2/25
2/25:
I had been back and forth whether Tears of the Sun deserved a '9' or a '10' before settling on the latter.
It puts many, many war movies, going back to the 30's, to shame. The high amount of realism (watch the growth of
beards and how tired everybody is) is undoubtedly impressive. Even more so is how normal the whole thing looks from
a cinematography/editing point of view. Therefore, all the credit goes to Antoine Fuqua, the director of
Training Day, for making an all-around solid picture that's on the same
level as Platoon and Predator. The most
ubelievable part is the remaining members of the SEAL team unleashing firepower against 300...400...possibly
500 rebels coming after them.
Everything I've seen about how it is over there in Africa is spot-on including the rape and mutilation of
females. That being said, you're encouraged to read Keith Richburg's book
Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa. A newspaper reporter of The Washington Post, he had a
mythical idea of the motherland but instead saw tons of barbaric slaughter with dead bodies littered everywhere.
Consequently, he was glad to be an American and vowed to never come back again.
As unbelievably terrific as the film is, I can't help thinking about several things. Sure, the men got the
job done, even if it meant ignoring orders. But there are too many people to save all over Africa who
are going through the same exact situation. Being engaged in a firefight with Nigeria's rebels is literally a
declaration of war by the United States. Then again, what is it to them for being involved with
another country's affairs? Of course, there's the human aspect involved that caused the leader to stop acting
robotic and start thinking how bad it is.
After seeing Hart's War and Tears of the Sun the past year, I now
acknowledge that Bruce Willis is an exceptional actor. There's something about his stoicism he brings to
the table that makes the biggest difference in quality of the film. A lot of actors had tried to do that for
decades but failed. The rest of the cast has been very good, and it's nice to see Eamonn Walker of
Oz fame in a big role.
All in all, Tears of the Sun is Best Picture material.
2/25:
The pivotal moment of the film is Bruce Willis looking at the mission's ambush during the helicopter ride back
to the ship and thinking to himself what he ought to do next, and that's when he became a hero.