‘Tears of the Sun’ tears at you

If you are expecting another movie where Bruce Willis plays a cocky

rebel who defies authority, but always lands on his feet and kicks

butt, you are in for a surprise. “Tears of the Sun” is not just

another action/war movie. The core of this story is an ethical

dilemma. Do you do you turn a blind eye to problems that are not your

responsibility, or do you take action? This is an engaging movie and

its question challenges you on many levels. You may walk away

thinking about how your own actions correspond to your values.

The story is about professional soldiers who find themselves

dealing with the horrors of ethnic cleansing. Willis plays the leader

of a Navy SEALS unit, sent into Central Africa to pick up an American

doctor (Monica Bellucci) and take her to safety. The doctor’s

missionary hospital is directly in the path of rebel army forces but

she refuses to leave unless everyone in her mission is rescued.

Willis and his unit have to decide whether to just grab the doctor

and leave, or to try to bring everyone to a safe location. Their

mission is the doctor, so no one will blame them for following their

orders to the letter and leaving behind the refugees. It’s not their

country, and it’s not their war. Those who are left behind face rape,

dismemberment, torture and death; but saving the refugees is not the

SEALS’ mission. A choice has to be made, and there is not a lot of

time for debate.

Visually, “Tears of the Sun” is both breathtaking and disturbing.

Sweeping shots of lush scenery are contrasted against genocide masked

as civil war. The horror and the gore aren’t glorified or exploited,

but nothing is sanitized. There are times when Hollywood unrealities

intrude on the story, but overall the movie stays sharp.

From movie to movie, Willis’s characters are never very different

from each other but he’s perfect for this role and carries this

movie. His temperament helps keep the movie from degenerating into a

preach-a-thon when the story when it feels heavy-handed. You just

can’t take someone who says “Beaucoup bad guys,” very seriously. The

great thing about Willis movies is that sometimes his heroes die. You

really can’t guess how the story will end.

Casting a supermodel as the missionary doctor probably wasn’t a

great idea. Monica Bellucci’s lipstick and Maybelline eyes seemed out

of place in war-torn jungle. The cast in general is a B-movie cast,

but with the exception of Bellucci they all play their stereotypes

effectively.

The dilemma faced by soldiers in “Tears of the Sun” is something

we all face on different levels every day. There is nothing wrong

with solely focusing on the difficult job of providing for yourself

and your family; but, how do you feel about yourself when you have to

turn a blind eye to what you see on the television news, or the world

you see through the windows of your car?

This isn’t a good one to choose as a first date flick, but it’s a

movie you’ll want to see on a big screen.

* JIM ERWIN, 40, is a technical writer and computer trainer.

‘Bringing Down the House’ does just that

Racial tension and humor highlight “Bringing Down the House.”

Peter Sanderson (Steve Martin) is a divorced, straight-laced,

workaholic tax attorney who still loves his ex-wife (Jean Smart).

Despite spending most of his time on his cell phone and not following

through with family plans and promises, Sanderson can’t figure out

why his wife left him. He is, however, trying to move on, and he

flirts with an online buddy named “Lawyer Girl,” who he meets in a

chat room. When she shows up on his door step for their first date,

she is not the petite, blond he had envisioned. Instead, she is

Charlene (Queen Latifah), a jailbird who’s proclaiming her innocence

and wants Sanderson to help clear her name. But Sanderson wants

nothing to do with her, eliciting the proud and powerful Charlene to

turn Sanderson’s perfectly ordered life upside down, imperiling his

ability to attract an important client (Joan Plowright). Eventually,

the unlikely duo discovers that by working together they could

succeed in organizing each other’s affairs.

Director Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner) assembles a

well-rounded cast, and plots an even course despite the unoriginal

premise, contrived circumstances and lacking material.

It is good to see Martin in a return to the type of comedies he

became popular for. Although this vehicle with script by Jason

Filardi is not the best-written or well-plotted film he has been

given, Queen Latifah saves it through a compassionate and broad

performance. Although many of the jokes are derived from pitting one

racial stereotype against another, the story is told with enough

sensitivity that the humor remains potent. Eugene Levy is a joy as

Sanderson’s hip office buddy. Betty White in a turn as a nasty but

neighborly bigot provides added hilarity. Plowright (who has a

hilarious bit while sitting at Sanderson’s dinner table) is priceless

as Sanderson’s potential client, and although the comedy eventually

devolves into farce, Plowright’s upper crust delivery enhances the

laughs. Steve Harris (The Practice) is threatening as Charlene’s

ex-boyfriend. Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) donned a very bad wig to

play Sanderson’s young office rival. Rosenbaum is a great actor, but

surely the hair people could have done a better job disguising the

fact that his head is shaven for his role as Lex Luthor on

television. In numerous scenes his wig is not attached properly,

especially when viewed from the side or rear.

Although the film entertains, and its opening weekend sales

reflect its success in bringing together black and white audiences,

it does so by reiterating the same stale insults we have already seen

and heard. The laughs are frequent, and occasional bits of dialogue

are missed due to lingering amusement. Even though this story is

intended to be contemporary, I’d like to think it puts in perspective

how far we have come and reminds us how far we have yet to go.

* RAY BUFFER, 33, is a professional singer, actor and voice-over

artist.