Rating- * * * * (4/5)
Read my review in the Crimson White
Nowadays, whenever any political topic comes up in a Hollywood environment I instinctively begin to roll my eyes in anticipation of the idiocy that will almost certainly soon be spewed from the mouths of self-righteous celebrities who feel that just because they have a microphone in their face everyone must care deeply about their political opinions. It is true that I am a conservative and that the vast majority of Hollywood celebrities are liberal so I cannot say that I am entirely impartial in the matter. In fact, no one who cares about their country and about American politics can be expected to be impartial about it. While most films avoid the trappings of American politics, there are a few that take on the subject and, as would be expected, they are overwhelmingly liberal. So I think it is only fair to warn my readers that at least some of my enthusiasm for Tears of the Sun comes from its refreshingly conservative political stance. Don’t be scared; this is not a political film by any means and it is not really even a film with an agenda. It is a story that was written before any of the recent developments in Iraq and the screenwriter couldn’t possibly have anticipated the social significance that this film would have by the time it made it to theaters. The story, in fact, follows the same basic plot points as most big-budget action thrillers with a little more dignity and seriousness and with a little less silliness. Bruce Willis, who has become I believe the quintessential American action hero, plays Lt. A.K. Waters, a Navy SEAL who has been sent on a mission with his elite group to retrieve four American nationals from a missionary outpost about to be attacked by rebel guerillas. Waters is a dedicated military man and goes in with the intention of doing his job and getting out, but when he arrives there are several immediate glitches in his plan. Firstly, three of the Americans, two nuns and a priest, refuse to leave. Secondly, Dr. Lena Hendricks (Monica Bellucci), the most important personnel in the camp, will only go if she can bring the able-bodied residents of the missionary camp with her. Realizing that Hendricks will not leave unless this request is granted and knowing that the mission would otherwise be a complete failure, Waters lies to Hendricks and tells her that the Africans can come with her. When they all arrive at the helicopter, Waters quickly wrestles Hendricks aboard and they take off, leaving the rest of the African refugees behind to fend for themselves. However, when the helicopter flies over the burning ruins of the missionary camp on the way to back, Waters has a change of heart and decides that will commit his unit to leading the group of refugees to safety across the national border. The rest of the film follows Waters and his soldiers as they lead the refugees through the African jungles while being relentlessly pursued by a group of guerillas. Along the way, Waters witnesses some of the horrible atrocities being committed by the guerillas, a haunting reflection of the conditions of many African nations experiencing similar genocidal civil wars. The action scenes in the film are very intense and very exciting, but this film keeps us interested through its taught, suspenseful plot and through a very believable performance by Willis. Bruce Willis may not strike most people as a great dramatic talent but he almost effortlessly believable in almost every performance. Even as a cheesy action hero, Willis always seems to hit the right notes and has found his niche in American cinema; he is strong and silent like Gary Cooper, but confident and rugged like John Wayne. He is an incredibly interesting actor to watch and is one of the reasons this movie works. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the movie ends with a fantastic action sequence, not to mention an explosion that will certainly be a contender for my prestigious Best Explosion Award at the end of the year. As for the political implications, there is a quote that appears on the screen just before the credits roll at the end of the film that was almost certainly added in the last stages of production. The quote is a quite famous one from Edmund Burke: “The greatest evil of all is for good men to do nothing.” Lt. Waters and his men could certainly have gone about their own business and left the refugees to die horrible deaths, but the fact is they were good men. They would not stand to see their fellow human beings suffer such a horrible fate and they were willing to give their own lives to try and save people they had never met. Are they infringing on another countries internal conflict? Certainly. Does the conflict have any bearing on their lives once they get back to America? Probably not. Does the rest of the world agree with their actions? Maybe not. But who cares? Are these really the questions we need to be asking when people’s lives are at stake? This movie makes the bold assertion (or at least it’s bold in Hollywood) that Americans have a responsibility as the most able and powerful nation in the world to care for those who are being oppressed and slaughtered. Bruce Willis is known as one of Hollywood’s elite Republicans and perhaps it was this aspect of the screenplay that drew him to the project. Either way, the film is inspiring, significant, and at the very least entertaining. Tears of the Sun is definitely worth your time.