7 out of 10
 

"Tears of the Sun" bears more than a passing similarity to the classic of the "The African Queen". In the 1930's, it was the hardbitten Humphrey Bogart, finding a more caring side of himself, leading the refined Katherine Hepburn through the jungles and swamps of Africa, just as she learnt the need for tough decisions in times of crisis against the backdrop of the First World War. This time, with the backdrop of a brutal revolt in Nigeria, it is Bruce Willis as a US SEAL Lieutenant Waters and his men, performing an almost identical task with Monica Berlucci as a US aid worker who is determined to take as many refugees with her as she can. At every point,it seems as if she is almost sabotaging their chances of survivial with her liberal whining as he continues to try to enforce his cold and harsh orders, yet as time proceeds, each learns from the other.

The true glory of the film, comes not in the action, but in the detailed development of the supporting characters, both the refugees and the US solders and one really grows to know them, almost as your own buddies.

Twists are added along the way, with traitors in the party's midsts, yet in many ways it is also closely similar to "Three Kings", but with the extremity of technical gore left out. As such, it stands as a much more watchable film, even if, consequentially, it is hard not to describe as "unoriginal".