Tears of the Sun
Release Year: 2003
Synopsis: Navy SEAL Lieutenant A.K. Waters and his elite squadron of tactical specialists are forced to choose between their duty and their humanity, between following orders by ignoring the conflict that surrounds them, or finding the courage to follow their conscience and protect a group of innocent refugees. When the democratic government of Nigeria collapses and the country is taken over by a ruthless military dictator, Waters, a fiercely loyal and hardened veteran is dispatched on a routine mission to retrieve a Doctors Without Borders physician.
My notes
First viewing.
I think I've seen scraps of this before, and there's some nice shots early in the film to establish place. But man, none of the characters feel like people. I get what Fuqua was going for - and I agree it's an important cause - but this might not have been the film to make that message in at this point in his career.
The action was messy. The dialogue was horrible - at one point a character switches between 'klicks' and miles in the same sentence as if they're the same? The strategy makes no sense. The brutality is brutal, but often nonsensical - especially when paired with the sense of strategy.
Not even a bad-fun film.