'Tears of the Sun'
(Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci / R / 118 mins / Sony Pictures)
Overview: Bruce Willis stars as Lt. A.K. Waters, the leader of a Navy SEAL unit sent to a remote section of war-stricken Nigeria to save an American woman, Dr. Lena Kendricks (Monica Bellucci), who runs a mission there. But when Waters arrives, he finds that Kendricks won't leave — she wants him to escort the refugees she cares for out of the hostile territory as well.
Verdict: Despite a few moments of heavy-handed sentimentality, overall 'Tears of the Sun' shines. True, it's a mediocre movie because director Antoine Fuqua can't decide if he wants to shuck off the clichés of mainstream filmic storytelling or embrace them, but there's more substance to be found here than one might initially expect from a Bruce Willis action flick. 'Tears of the Sun' is, in my humble opinion, one of the better military missions of the last 10 years and should put Willis back on the Hollywood map just in time for 'Die Hard 4' to roll out!
Russ Trunk
'Tears of the Sun'