Tarfumes.com - Tears of the Sun [Blu-ray]

List Price: $28.95
Our Price: $17.95
Your Save: $ 11.00 ( 38% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Columbia Pictures
Starring: Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser, Eamonn Walker, Johnny Messner
Directed By: Antoine Fuqua

Average Customer Rating:

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: Blu-ray
Brand: Columbia Pictures
EAN: 0043396160972
Format: Anamorphic
Label: Columbia Pictures
Manufacturer: Columbia Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Columbia Pictures
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2006-09-19
Running Time: 121
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: 2003-03-07

Related Items
Black Hawk Down [Blu-ray] The Patriot (Extended Cut) [Blu-ray] We Were Soldiers [Blu-ray] S.W.A.T. [Blu-ray] The Last Samurai [Blu-ray]

Editorial Reviews:

Columbia Pictures Tears Of The Sun (Blu-Ray)
Loyal veteran Navy S.E.A.L. Lt. A.K. Waters (Bruce Willis) is sent into the heart of war-torn Africa on a hazardous mission to rescue Dr. Lena Hendricks (Monica Bellucci), a U.S. citizen who runs a missionary. When the beautiful doctor refuses to abandon the refugees in her care, Lt. Waters finds himself having to choose between following orders and the dictates of his own conscience. Together, they begin a dangerous trek through the deadly jungle, all the while being pursued by a rebel militia group, with only one goal in mind: to assassinate Lt. Waters' unit and the refugees in his care.

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Neither really good or really bad, but worthwhile for a few reasons
Comment: "Tears of the Sun" (2003) tells the story of a squadron of Navy Seals lead by Bruce Willis who are on mission in Nigeria to remove a beautiful American doctor (Monica Belucci) from a Christian village before evil Islamic militants move in and annihilate 'em all. Belucci insists that "her people" go with them. Willis initially refuses but later has a change of heart. Since there are too many to remove via helicoptor, they have no choice but to lead 'em out on foot to the Carmeroon border. Will they make it out alive?

I remember seeing a scene or two while channel surfing a few years ago and it perked my interest. What I saw had an ultra-serious vibe and seemed to have depth as well. It looked like my cup of tea because I'm a huge fan of the original "Apocalypse Now." The icing on the cake is the presence of Monica Belucci, who's definitely one of the most beautiful women to ever grace God's Earth. Seriously, her face is incredible!

Well, I've seen it twice now and, despite all the positive items it has going, I can't help but find it kinda disappointing. I've already listed the positives so allow me to cite what doesn't work:

After seeing the film twice now I only remember two characters -- Willis and Belucci. Every other character is totally forgettable. This isn't the case at all with, say, "Apocalypse Now" wherein the viewer knew and remembered every single member of Capt. Willard's team after seeing the film once, not to mention the major peripheral characters. Another good example would be "Last Of The Mohicans" (1992), which has a similar theme (i.e. good people being chased through the forest by evil villains).

The mistake of "Tears of the Sun" is that it jumps right into the thick of the jungle story without allowing the viewer to get to know anyone. As already noted, the theme is heavy and the vibe is fittingly serious, including the score, but because we aren't emotionally tied to the characters the picture comes across too heavy-handed and melodramtic.

I should also add that the 2-hour film is fairly slow moving and that the big-action sequence doesn't take place until the finale. The problem with this "exciting" climax is that the viewer, once again, doesn't care what happens at this point because we don't really know the characters and therefore have little emotional attachment. I just got done watching the ending and I was quite bored -- lazily strumming my acoustic guitar, looking around the room, etc.

Although the story takes place in Nigeria the picture was obviously shot in Hawaii. The difference in geography is enough that the film loses points for realism, but who can deny the beauty of Hawaii? So maybe it gains the points back.

The Director's Cut merely adds the deleted scenes from the Special Edition dvd to the film. In other words, unless you absolutely love the film it's not necessary to buy the Director's Cut; just watch the deleted scenes. Speaking of the deleted scenes, there's one quietly potent scene where a black American talks with a black Nigerian. It has great dialogue and should have never been cut.

BOTTOM LINE: I'm not sorry I bought "Tears of the Sun" because it has so many attributes, including the ultra-serious vibe, cinematography, score and Monica Belucci. But this is far from a good film. At the same time, it's not bad. It's just okay. Check out "Rambo" (2008) if you want to see the same theme done in an effective manner.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Tears of the Sun on Blu-Ray
Comment: Tears of the Sun is one of the best war movies I have seen years. It is amazing how real a movie becomes on Blu-Ray.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Navy Seals
Comment: A film that is thought provoking. A SEAL team commander is put in a moral dilemma, and must act outside the "box". SEAL fans should enjoy.

Customer Rating:

Summary: It's boring and extremely illogical.
Comment: It's boring and extremely illogical. The truth is nobody in that situation could have helped rescued so many people if he did not have the support of many air planes and infantries. I found the fighting scenes were not engaging either.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Superb war movie
Comment: What a great film! I am suspicious of Bruce Willis who has a tendency to get in front of the camera (the series of Die Hard). However, he is at his best in this mission taking place in the breathtaking scenery of a sumptuous and agonizing Africa (Nigeria). The horror of civil war is very well described. the story of the movie has lots of sense. The actors are brilliant. A great moment of cinema, which helps us to better assess situations of crisis.

More Reviews