Another movie that goes into the category of I like it but I really don't know why, Tears of the Sun is an average action/war movie but keeps me engaged from beginning to end.

The story involves seven Navy Seal members who are sent into Nigeria to rescue an American doctor, Lena Kendricks, played by Monica Bellucci (Passion of the Christ,) who will be killed if captured by the rebels. The rebels have seized power and are killing all Christians and anybody associated with the old government, and the doctor worked at a mission run by a Catholic priest and two nuns.

The cinematography in this movie is beautiful, but then again I don't know of any movie shot in the jungle that isn't beautiful, I mean even Anaconda's 2 is beautiful, but still it's very pretty. Since 1998 when the master (Spielberg) shot Saving Private Ryan in a way that made it look like it was a correspondent running on the beaches of Normandy. Since then many have tried to imitate the master and all have failed. It seems to me very hard to shoot a film like that because if you do it incorrectly the audience can lose focus on what they are watching because it flies by so fast. Ridley Scott makes this mistake in Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven, all though not much. To see this way shot horribly watch Bourne Supremacy, I had to turn my head because I couldn't concentrate on what I was watching.

Director Antoine Fuqua (King Arthur) does not make the same mistake. Fuqua shoots the film in what I would call a more traditional shot like most war movies. Maybe it's because his purpose isn't to have the audience their experiencing the war like Private Ryan does. I wish more directors would continue to use the 'traditional' way of shooting and avoid the hand held camera approach, because few can do it like the master.

Casting wise there are no stretches when it comes to characters for the movie. Bruce Willis (Sin City) is as Bruce Willis does, be it a cop or soldier is very steady if not eventful and doesn't hurt the film. Nice to see Tom Skerritt (Top Gun) pulled out of his cryogenic freezer and cast as a bad ass naval commander, hmmm have I seen that before? Rest of the cast is full of nameless faces in the crowd except Bellucci, she is at least a seven on the stiffy scale but I am not sure she was the right actress for the part, no harm no foul I suppose.

The story was at some points the best and worst thing about the movie. The premise, which is really about ethnic cleansing in Africa, is always a difficult subject and if done right quite emotional. Fuqua does a nice job shooting the story yet there are a few scenes where some of the Seal team who don't agree with the Lieutenants (Willis) decision to save the refugees sacrifice themselves to save them and that has been done too many times in the movies, the hero realizing his error to sacrifice his life to save one he didn't care about before. The rebel soldiers were also pulled out of the stereotype bad guy manual and that was a little old. But a few times I did have that since of shame that while I sit at home eating Fritos, I should have joined the military 12 years ago and made a difference, but what can you do.

I keep telling myself to add this movie to my collection because I enjoy it yet I have not done so even though it is on the previously viewed shelves now. That must tell me something so I am not going to give it the best grade but it is still worth seeing.

Brian - the Naked Gun