Tears of the Sun

A very good action film with McClane in the service of the military, but very weak as the drama with a strong humanistic message it wants to be. Monica Bellucci rolls helplessly on the ground and tries in vain to touch the inner emotions of the viewer who, mouth full of popcorn, wants only proper action and the traditionally gurgling Zimmer soundtrack. But the grimy visuals are just so naturalistic and haunting that I can't completely dislike it. 65% (15/11/2012)

The biggest problem with this movie is that it pretends to be a deep drama reflecting cruel actual events in the African jungle. And though it does depict those events in a really naturalistic way (I hadn’t had such a knot in my stomach in a long time!), it seems to lack credibility due to the combination of American bombast and Bruce Willis’s famous face. Tears of the Sun can also be seen as a pure action flick that wants to be something more, but because of the slow and boring screenplay, it’s not even a satisfying action movie. (17/04/2003)

The surprise of recent times. I didn't think I'd see Bruce Willis in a good movie again, given what he's been doing for the last few years. A captivating rainforest setting, a group of elite marines, a group of Nigerian rebels on their heels, some twist and turns, amazing action, dosed sparingly but very intense, working emotions and empathy, decent pacing and gorgeous visuals. Actually, almost a full score. 85%. (10/05/2016)

Too simple, flat, and in the second half also hardly believable, but Fuqua knows when the limit of pathos is exhausted and thankfully keeps the tough soldiers in check and avoids playing a hysterical drama about the redemption of hearts and the desire to help the innocent at the cost of one's own life – it can indeed be done without the drama. It is a pity for the unbelievably constructed action scenes at the end. Besides the excellent performance by Willis, the cleansing of the village and especially the portrayal of the military unit are good – their communication, behavior, actions. In one of the few war films where emphasis is placed on these attributes and it all looks highly realistic. (26/10/2003)

A lot of angry Bruce Willis, an unbearably wooden Monica Bellucci, the jungle, gunshots, dust, and injustice. To top it off, one big and very unbelievable twist against orders, cliches that are sometimes annoying, and an irritatingly optimistic message that hurts. All in the packaging of Hans Zimmer's surprisingly tired composition and big black-and-white peace propaganda. I occasionally quite like Antoine Fuqua, but the claim that he's really good at making empty movies has never been more true. (10/05/2008)