If there’s one thing Hollywood has never been particularly good at, it’s trying to infuse blockbuster action movies with real-world political tensions or geopolitical strife. The list of productions to have deftly struck the delicate balance is short to put it lightly, with 2003’s Tears of the Sun just one of many attempts to fall flat.
Antoine Fuqua’s sun-baked military thriller finds the Nigerian government having fallen, leaving the country on the brink of civil war, with Bruce Willis’ veteran officer has been tasked to head deep into the jungle with his team to rescue Monica Bellucci’s doctor. However, she won’t leave her patients to be tracked down and killed by rebel forces, so the elite squad embarks on a dangerous journey to try and save everyone.
Armed with a budget of $100 million, Tears of the Sun was aiming to fly high at the box office, but it ended up bombing disastrously. The explosive shoot ’em up could only bring in $86 million during its theatrical run, while a 33 percent Rotten Tomatoes score points towards mediocrity, even if the style was praised in spite of a lack of substance.
Almost two decades later, though, and the star power of Willis luxuriating in the genre that turned him into an A-list superstar in the first place continues to hook Netflix subscribers. As per FlixPatrol, Tears of the Sun has become a Top 10 Netflix smash hit in multiple countries, and it could yet continue to rise higher up the rankings as the week continues.