nan | 楠木

Tears of the Sun is an inconsistent film – it is dark and moody for the most part, but then builds up into a cliched Hollywood climax, and one not well done at that.

Bruce Willis is Lieutenant A.K. Waters, leader of an elite squad, sent into Nigeria to extract an American national Dr. Lena Kendricks (Monica Bellucci) when the country becomes instable after a recent coup. Lena refuses to leave without her patients, and after witnessing what the local military is doing (“cleansing”) Waters’ conscience gets the better of him, and he decides to escort the refugees to the Cameroon border.

For most of this journey through the jungle, there is not much action, and the film depicts a dark and unforgiving environment. The film could have been a realistic study of the horrors that man is capable of, but it decides to deliver a message that is both cliched and pretentious: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Note that I’m not saying that this quote itself is pretentious; only that in the context of the film and with American troops portrayed as the “good men”, this message seems blatantly arrogant and even ironic.

Additionally, the film also employs several plot devices that are cliched and boring. The climatic battle seems off and comical, and with the realism lost it only looks ridiculous. Intensity is the key for any battle sequence, and this film’s final battle has none.

Cast-wise, Willis is on par. It’s not anything especially exciting from this action veteran, but it’s a decent performance from him in this atypical Willis action film, and his face makes the whole film somewhat more plausible. Bellucci shows intensity, but it’s not a role where she’s given a lot of space to work with.

5/10