Tears of the Sun
Tears of the Sun film poster.
Directed by	Antoine Fuqua
Produced by	Ian Bryce Mike Lobell Arnold Rifkin
Written by	Alex Lasker Patrick Cirillo
Starring	Bruce Willis Monica Bellucci Cole Hauser
Music by	Hans Zimmer
Cinematography	Mauro Fiore
Editing by	Conrad Buff
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	U.S. March 3, 2003
Running time	121 min.
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	$70,000,000
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Tears of the Sun is a 2003 war film directed by Antoine Fuqua depicting a rescue mission by U.S. Navy SEALs in the midst of a fictional civil war in the West African country of Nigeria. The film stars Bruce Willis as the commander of the SEAL team sent into the middle of this conflict to rescue a US citizen played by Monica Bellucci. Willis produced the film through his Cheyenne Enterprises production company and took its title from an early name for the Die Hard sequel; agreeing to the Die Hard project on the condition that he could use its subtitle for his own film. Download high resolution version (485x705, 49 KB)Tears of the Sun movie poster. ... Antoine Fuqua (born January 19, 1966 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an African-American film director of such films as The Replacement Killers with Chow Yun Fat, Bait with Jamie Foxx, Training Day with Denzel Washington, Tears of the Sun with Bruce Willis and King Arthur with Clive Owen. ... Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a Golden Globe- and double Emmy-winning German-born American actor and singer. ... Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (born September 30, 1964 or 1968) is an Italian actress and fashion model. ... Cole K. Hauser (born March 22, 1975) is an American actor. ... Hans Florian Zimmer (born September 12, 1957) is an Academy Award, Grammy, and Golden Globe award-winning film score composer from Germany. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. ... The war film is a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. ... Antoine Fuqua (born January 19, 1966 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an African-American film director of such films as The Replacement Killers with Chow Yun Fat, Bait with Jamie Foxx, Training Day with Denzel Washington, Tears of the Sun with Bruce Willis and King Arthur with Clive Owen. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article is about the definition of the specific type of war. ... Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a Golden Globe- and double Emmy-winning German-born American actor and singer. ... Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (born September 30, 1964 or 1968) is an Italian actress and fashion model. ... Cheyenne Enterprises is a television and film production company privately owned by Bruce Willis and Arnold Rifkin Motion Pictures Produced Live Free or Die Hard (2007) The Tourist (2007) Just My Luck (2006) 16 Blocks (2006) Black Water Transit (2006) Scarlet (2006) Serial (2006) Hostage (2005) The Whole Ten Yards... This article is about the 1988 action film. ... Live Free or Die Hard (released as Die Hard 4. ...

Plot

The plot summary in this article or section is too long or detailed compared to the rest of the article. Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot.

Lieutenant A.K. Waters and his Team of Navy Seals.

The film begins with a montage of news footage illustrating a violent coup that is taking place in Nigeria, overthrowing the Presidential family and establishing a dictatorship under the rebel general Yakubu. The Muslim Fulani rebels proceed to execute violent ethnic cleansing by the tribe from the northern side of the country against the Christian Igbo (“Ee•bow”) tribes in the southern region. We then join a squad of SH-60B Seahawk helicopters on approach to the USS Harry S. Truman off the coast of Africa, and a news reporter on the flight deck reporting on the coup taking place. His report is interrupted by the news of the whole presidential family being assassinated by rebel forces. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Categories: Africa-related stubs | Burkina Faso | Cameroon | Ethnic groups of Africa | Fulani Empire | Mali | Nigeria ... The Ibo are a group of people living in what is now Nigeria. ... Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk The SH-60B is designed to operate as an integral fighting unit aboard specifically configured Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7) class Guided Missile Frigates, Spruance (DDG-963) class Destroyers, Kidd (DDG-993), class Guided Missile Destroyers and Ticonderoga (CG-47) class Guided Missile Cruisers. ... USS (CVN-75) is the eighth Nimitz-class supercarrier of the United States Navy, named after President Harry S. Truman. ...

Lieutenant Waters and his team of Navy SEALs disembark from a helicopter, apparently returning from a mission to extract American citizens from the embassy. They are greeted by Captain Bill Rhodes on the deck who immediately informs them that they’ll need to be reinserted to extract a “critical personality” immediately. After refitting for the next mission, eating and having their wounds tended by the medic they meet in the ships briefing room to get the details of their mission. They’re instructed that they will Halo Jump over Cameroon and into the jungle outside of a small Catholic mission where they will find Dr. Lena Fiore Kendricks who is an American citizen by marriage. Their secondary mission is to extract the priest and two nuns who run the mission if they are willing to go with them. Once they have their package they are to make the twelve-klick hike to the designated extraction point where they’ll be flown out by helicopter. SEALs in from the water. ... Klick (sometimes spelled click) is a common military term meaning kilometre (or sometimes kilometres per hour). ...

The mission begins precisely as planned with the SEAL team dropping from the aircraft and free falling over the target area. A young Nigerian woman is shown approaching the lake near the mission to get water when two of the SEALs suddenly emerge from the depths, however before she can let out a scream Lieutenant Waters grabs her from behind covering her screams. Waters has the woman lead him to Dr. Kendricks in the infirmary where him and Doc startle her and the nuns as they’re in the process of operating on a war victim. After brief deliberation Waters wins an audience with Kendricks where he informs her of the rebel company approaching the mission and that their orders are to extract U.S. personnel. Kendricks refuses to leave the mission without the people under her care, Waters contacts Rhodes to explore their options and after a short and ambiguous conversation concedes to the doctor that they will take the refugees that can move under their own power with them. Kendricks agrees and immediately begins to round up every able-bodied refugee to make the hike. Irritated and behind schedule the SEALs start to move out with the refugees after daybreak. Their journey proves to be slow and hindered as guiding forty injured and wounded refugees is a difficult task.

After night has fallen they decide to take a short break to allow the refugees to rest and give Dr. Kendricks time to administer medication to those that need it. Waters has his team setup a defensive perimeter around the refugees. Moments after the perimeter is set Lake, Waters’ point man reports guerilla rebels are approaching their position quickly. Waters informs Dr. Kendricks and the SEALs and refugees take cover in the dense jungle as the rebels pass by on the trail. They’re stopped momentarily when a baby’s mumbled cries are briefly heard, tensions are raised when the rebels briefly prod through the vegetation in search of any possible refugees as the SEALs anxiously anticipate having to engage. The rebels don’t discover them however and continue on their way, though the refugees are nearly caught when a straggling tailgunner witnesses Dr. Kendricks coming out from cover but is quickly dispatched by Waters who rushes out from cover and stabs him in the neck. Dr. Kendricks expresses her concern to Waters that the rebels are on their way to the mission, but Waters is determined to carry out their mission and they continue on their way.

They finally reach their landing zone and contact the helicopters that are en route, upon their landing the Waters initial plan is revealed the SEALs suddenly turn on the refugees and hold them at gun point as Waters forces Dr. Kendricks onto the helicopter and the SEAL team collapses back for a swift extraction leaving the refugees stranded in the middle of the jungle without any protection against rebel forces. As they’re on their way out of the country the helicopters pass over the mission and the pilot notifies Waters to observe out of the right side that they discovered the mission had been raided and destroyed just as Kendricks had predicted. Feeling a deep conviction Waters orders the helicopter to turn around and return to the extraction point where they disembark and regroup with the refugees deciding to execute their back up plan of heading to the Cameroon border.

They continue on their way learning as they go that they’re mysteriously being tracked by a large body of rebel soldiers for unknown reasons. As they continuously attempt to escape and evade their pursuers, they encounter a small village that is in the process of being wiped out by rebel soldiers. Realizing that they have an opportunity to stop it, Waters orders the refugees to remain on the high ground while his marksmen Flea and Silk get into the position and the rest close in on the village to take out all of the rebel fighters. They execute their plan with surgical precision but are shocked to find a mutilated woman in one of the huts, learning that what has happened to her is common practice amongst the rebels. After the fighting has subsided and the refugees are permitted to enter the village they arm themselves with the weapons of the rebels and the group continues on their way to Cameroon.

Slowly but surely the hardened exteriors of the SEAL veterans begin to crack down and their humanity shines through as they bare witness to the horrid atrocities committed by the rebel fighters. While continuing on their way, Slo continues to investigate their pursuers and realizes that somebody within the group is transmitting a signal that’s allowing the rebels to identify their location and close in with speed. At that time it is also revealed that the reason for this is because there is in fact a surviving member of the Presidential family, Samuel Azuka’s son Arthur and that it’s very important for the rebels to ensure his death. Waters is hurt by Dr. Kendricks mistrust because she knew all along yet didn’t inform him.

After Red makes an attempt to slow their pursuers by rigging a claymore mine to the dead body of the traitor (while really only aggravating the leader of the group to summon more troops to the SEALs predicted location), the SEALs regroup and decide that they’re going to do everything they can get the refugees to safety.

As they wait in the tall grass of the jungle a massive fire fight breaks out between the SEALs and the hundreds of rebels hidden in the trees. Soon the SEALs form a defensive line against the rebels as they order the refugees to retreat to the tree line where the Cameroon border is in sight. At this time Zee radios in to the Truman for air support and two F/A-18 Hornets take off from the flight deck en route to their location. The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a modern all-weather carrier-capable strike fighter jet, designed to attack both ground and aerial targets. ...

The SEALs continue to hold the line as they fall back to the refugees location, however the overwhelming firepower of the rebels claims the lives of Slo, Flea, Lake and Silk. The refugees provide a small amount of cover fire as the remaining SEALs fall back into the reeds, now everybody is sprinting for the border. Waters, shot in the leg, orders Arthur to take Kendricks with him to the border while he stays behind with the living members of his team. Zee has been shot in the lung and Doc is trying to keep him conscious when Waters hears the fighter pilots radioing in for the green light to engage. The SEALs pop smoke and order them to fire on everything between the tree line and the smoke. Red, still retreating to the others position, barely makes it in time. Arthur and Dr. Kendricks are scrambling to the gate when they hear the thunderous roar of the jets on approach and are terrified to see them drop a substantial payload on the rebel fighters, fearing that Waters and the SEALs had been killed as well.

Waters, Zee, Doc and Red emerge from the grass as helicopters land on the other side of the Cameroon border as Captain Rhodes orders the guards to open the gate and let the SEALs and refugees in. A group of marines then escort the SEALs to the helicopters where their wounds are tended to. Dr. Kendricks says her goodbyes to her friends and departs on the same helicopter with Waters.

The final scene depicts the refugees recognizing Arthur as the tribal king and rightful heir to Nigeria, and he raises his hand exclaiming “Freedom!” as his fellow Nigerians celebrate around him. In the closing title, we see the quote “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” by Edmund Burke. Edmund Burke (January 12, 1729[1] – July 9, 1797) was an Anglo-Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist, and philosopher, who served for many years in the British House of Commons as a member of the Whig party. ...

Cast

Tears of the Sun features an ensemble cast, including several refugees portrayed by real African refugees now living in the United States.

Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a Golden Globe- and double Emmy-winning German-born American actor and singer. ... Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (born September 30, 1964 or 1968) is an Italian actress and fashion model. ... Cole K. Hauser (born March 22, 1975) is an American actor. ... Eamonn Walker (born June 12th 1962) is a British film, television and theatre actor. ... Johnny Messner (born April 11, 1970) is an American actor who has had a number of movie and television series roles. ... Nicholas Chinlund, born November 18, 1961 in New York City, is an actor. ... Thomas Alderton Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an Emmy Award-Winning American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes (half Picket Fences). ... Akosua Busia (born December 30, 1966) is a Ghanaian actress based in the U.S.. The daughter of Kofi Abrefa Busia, the ex-prime minister of the Republic of Ghana, Akosua is a princess of the royal family of Wenchi, a subgroup of the Ashanti. ... Jimmy Jean-Louis is a Haitian actor and model best known for his role as The Haitian on the NBC television series Heroes. ...

Reception

The movie was met with mostly poor reviews. Review aggregation sites Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic recorded average ratings of 38% and 45% favorable reviews, respectively.^[1][2] Time Out London was scathing, lambasting the fact that the film focused on a fictional atrocity in a real country, when there was ample opportunity to explore similar but historically accurate atrocities. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Metacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and books. ... The distinctive Time Out logo, seen on all its publications Time Out is a publishing company based in London, England. ...

Production

All the actors who played Navy SEALs had to go through a two-week boot camp and during principal photography were required to refer to each other by their characters' names, even off camera, so as to improve interaction among the characters.

This is the first film to be filmed on the Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. The U.S. Navy SH-60B Seahawk helicopters prominently seen in the film are from HSL-37 "Easy Riders" stationed at Kaneohe Marine Corps Base Oahu, Hawaii. The Nimitz-class supercarriers are a line of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the US Navy, and are the largest capital ships in the world. ... USS (CVN-75) is the eighth Nimitz-class supercarrier of the United States Navy, named after the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman. ... SH-60F of the United States Navy, with external fuel tank. ... Oʻahu (usually Oahu outside Hawaiian and Hawaiian English), the Gathering Place, is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous island in the State of Hawaiʻi. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

The U.S. Navy F/A-18A Hornets shown in the aircraft carrier sequence were from VFA-204, the "River Rattlers". VFA-204 is a Navy Reserve strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station New Orleans.

The shooting was touched by misfortune both in pre-production and during. First, actor Kevin Tod Smith, who had been cast as one of Willis' men, died in an accident while visiting the set of a film in China. Then during the shoot, a stuntman was killed filming a parachuting scene near Oceano, California. Jumping with eight other skydivers from 14,000 feet, the man was supposed to land on the beach, but actually landed about 300 yards offshore and drowned. Kevin Tod Smith (March 16, 1963 - February 15, 2002) was a New Zealand actor best known for playing the God of War, Ares in the television programs Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Young Hercules. ... Skydiver redirects here. ... Oceano is a census-designated place located in San Luis Obispo County, California. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

References

External links

• Official site
• Tears of the Sun at the Internet Movie Database
• Tears of the Sun at Allmovie
• Tears of the Sun at Rotten Tomatoes
• Tears of the Sun at Metacritic