Plot: What’s it about?
The government of Nigeria has fallen, which has sparked a state of chaos and a new rule by a ruthless military faction. Dr. Lena Kendricks (Monica Bellucci), an American citizen by marriage, is in the heat of the civil war and trying to help everyone she can. But the United States government wants to extract her from Nigeria and return her to safety, so a team of special-ops soldiers is dispatched. Lieutenant A.K. Waters (Bruce Willis) heads up the squad sent into Nigeria, as he is a loyal and fierce soldier, one who should be able to execute this mission without incident. Waters has been involved in countless rescue missions and this one should be routine, but Waters is soon faced with a severe situation. After he and his men arrived in Nigeria, traversed through the thick jungles, and entered the village where Kendricks resides, they discover their mission is to rescue someone who refuses to be rescued. She is unwilling to abandon the refugees in her care, as if she leaves, they will be at the mercy of the new regime. Even though her own life is in immense danger, she cannot leave those innocent people behind. She informs Waters that she wants to lead the refugees to a safe border, but his orders forbid such an action. Now Waters must choose between following orders or following his conscience.
The cinemas have been deluged by war movies of late, but most have been weak offerings at best. Now we have Tears of the Sun, which stars Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci, with direction from Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Replacement Killers). I had some serious doubts about this one, but as it turns out, Tears of the Sun is a cut above most recent war pictures. As you’d expect, it has ample violence and action sequences, but doesn’t settle for just being another loud, hyper violent experience. Fuqua is no stranger to action, so he is able to ratchet up the tension and action, so that when it hits its peak, the payoff is immense. I’ve seen better combat scenes in movies, but Tears of the Sun more than holds its own with other modern genre efforts. That is because the storyline is more than just a simple frame to hang the action scenes on, as it offers well crafted characters, believable development, and effective emotional content. So when the action lets loose, it is more effective to be sure, since we have an investment in what happens. The cast is also a major reason why the movie works so well, as Willis drops his usual swagger and hands in a terrific turn, while Bellucci is excellent as usual. I am able to give Tears of the Sun a very strong recommendation, as Columbia has given this good movie a great treatment.
He has given some good dramatic and comedic roles, but Bruce Willis is best known for his sarcastic, smirking action hero characters. So when I sat down to watch Tears of the Sun, I was worried he would bring that persona, which would spell instant doom in this case. This kind of material needs a more subtle, realistic kind of hero, not the wisecracking type Willis has built his career on. But I was worried over nothing, as Willis drops the sarcasm and the smirk, but retains his impressive screen presence. Willis has just the right blend of tough and sensitive here, the kind of man that’s believable. If he played it as some kickass, overblown supersoldier, the emotional content of the material would have drowned. But Willis is calm and natural here, with a refined performance that ranks among his finest work, if you ask me. He plays off his costars well and of course, has no trouble with the action driven sequences. So if you’re concerned with Willis’ work here, don’t be, as he is in terrific form. Other films with Willis include Unbreakable, Die Hard, The Fifth Element, Twelve Monkeys, Armageddon, and The Sixth Sense. The cast also includes Monica Bellucci (Brotherhood of the Wolf, Irreversible), Cole Hauser (2 Fast 2 Furious, Higher Learning), and Tom Skerritt (Top Gun, Maid to Order).
Video: How does it look?
Tears of the Sun is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is yet another terrific new release from Columbia, as the movie looks excellent here. I wouldn’t call this a reference level presentation, but it does offer a great visual experience. As expected from such a recent release, the print is almost pristine and I detected no softness, at least none that wasn’t part of the intended visual scheme. The detail level here is very, very high and that means crisp, sharp visuals at all times, so the visuals really shine. The colors are bold and bright, with no instances of bleeds or smears, even when the richest hues are on screen. I found no problems with the contrast either, which yields refined and well balanced black levels throughout. A few small flaws keep it from being perfect, but this is still an excellent treatment.
Audio: How does it sound?
Not to be outdone, the audio is also quite remarkable, thanks to an excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. This track is loaded with explosive presence, so the surrounds have to work hard throughout the presentation. The usual elements, such as gunfire, explosions, and such are here and sound great, but this soundtrack doesn’t stop there. No, we’re taken right into the middle of it all, as the atmosphere is top notch. You’ll hear jungle sounds from all directions, as if you were there too and of course, that enhances the experience. A ton of creative audio use can be found in this track, so not only do the elements sound good, they are presented in fresh, natural fashion. No dialogue is lost in the mix either, so all the vocals remain clean and clear. Hans Zimmer’s score is well handled also, with a good deal of active presence. This disc also includes a French language option, as well as subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
An audio commentary with director Antoine Fuqua is up first, in which he discusses all facets of the production. It is obvious Fuqua has an immense personal interest in the material, as he returns to his own thoughts quite often in this session. But a good deal of production insight is also found here, so if you liked the movie, be sure to check out this track. A second commentary track is present, but writers Alex Lasker and Patrick Cirillo don’t have much to say, as the session ends after just over fifteen minutes. Which is a shame, as the pair have great comments and as such, I wish a complete track were recorded. A special Africa Fact Track is next, which enables a cool subtitle stream that contains a wealth of insightful information. This disc also includes a fifteen minute behind the scenes featurette, a selection of interviews with real life survivors, some deleted scenes, an interactive map of Africa, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
