Tears Of the sun (2003 )

'Tears of The sun ' is an engrossing and above average look at modern day soldiers , as navy seallieutenant A.K. Waters ( Bruce Willis ) and crew must choose between duty or humanity to rescue Dr Kendrcks and her companions.

Kendricks an american citizen helps victims of an ongoing civil war at a Catholic mission in a remote village to which Waters and his elite squadron are sent to rescue. Refusing to leave without the rest of the villagers Waters reluctantly agrees to Kendricks demands to escort them all to safety via helicopter lift. Going back on his words, Waters leaves the villagers behind and only takes Kendricks. Refusing to obey strict orders Waters decides to head back and rescue the rest of the distraught villagers by escorting them to the border and hopefully out pursue the army of rebels at there tail.

It is this trek through the perilous and dense jungle where they try to evade their pursuers that really gets you involved. Witnessing at first hand the brutality of the gathering rebel army makes there passage to safety even more compelling. 'Tears Of The Sun ' is an unusually thought full and compelling movie. Basically an action movie yes! But much more than that may suggest at it's most basic level with it's moral dilemmas and humanitarian concerns.

GOOD EGG

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada ( 2005 )

Tommy Lee Jones desrvedly won the 2005 Cannes Film Festival best actor award for this film , which he also directed. Showing there's more to his talent than acting which has gained him a strong presence in the movies for 35 years.

Although Three Burials has a rather unmemorable title , the film certainly is VERY memorable.Jones plays Pete Perkins, a laconic, weathered cattle ranch foreman inthe
bordercommunity of Van Horn, Texas. He has formed a closefriendship with Melquiades Estrada (Julio César

Cedillo), a cowboy from Mexico. Meanwhile, Mike Norton (Barry Pepper) and his beautiful if vapid blond wife Lou Ann (January Jones) have just come from Cincinnati to Van Horn, where Mike has a taken a job as a border patrolman. He reports to Dwight Yoakam's hard-nosed Capt. Frank Belmont, who refers to undocumented workers with a racial slur.


Mike and Lou Ann's lives peaked in high school, and the swiftly bored Lou Ann has little to sustain her. Mike is a mindless macho type who pores over Hustler magazine on the job and immediately displays a propensity for excessive violence in capturing illegal immigrants. When
Melquiades spots a fox menacing a herd of sheep he takes aim, and trigger-happy Mike, on duty nearby, returns fire, killing the cowboy.

Pete promised Mel that should Mel die he would see that his body was buried in his village in Mexico. With Pete, a man's word is taken seriously, and acting on a tip, he kidnaps Mike into accompanying him.


Arriaga backs into his story, alternating among its variousstrands, moving between past and present without warning; it's his way of plunging the audience into the lives of the various people who will soon interact in convoluted and unexpected ways.

The trek south of the border, which holds a climactic surprise revealing the depth of Melquiades' yearning for family ties and a life in an idyllic setting close to nature, is crucial in that it forces a
reevaluation of Mike, heretofore easily dismissed as a lethal jerk. The adventures and hardships become a transforming experience for him and reveal Pepper as a young actor of range and depth.

Beautifully photographed throughout , ' Three Burials ' recalls the gritty westerns of Bud Boetticher and there's more than a passing resemblance to Sam Peckinpahs ' Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia ' . Besides Tommy Lee Jones , Brad Pepper turns in a fine performance too. Definitely one to watch!


CRYSTAL EGG

RESCUE DAWN ( 2007 )

Based on a true story ' Rescue Dawn ' depicts the plight of real life german - american vietnam war survivor Dieter Dengler.Director Werner Herzog here creates a very real and gripping experience who earlier made an excellent documentary on the same topic called 'Little Dieter Needs To Fly', with Dengler reliving his traumatic experence while in the clutches of the enemy.

Unlike most war films Rescue Dawn is a sincere and focused portrait of not only a soldier but also the bonding between fellow prisoners. Cutting out any obligatory love story, flash backs or any political statements which have spoiled many other war movies Rescue Dawn gets right to the point without any extraneous clutter. What we have here is a genuinely moving film which certainly ranks as one of Herzogs finest achievements who remains still one of the most unique directors around. One can't help but feel had this been made by one of hollywoods big guns it would have turned out a lot different.

Dengler is played by Christian Bale who having crashed must try to survive and look out for any means of rescue, which is cut short when captured by a group of Vietnamese. Staying true to his morals he refuses to sign a paper discrediting his fellow americans and is therefore abused, tortured and psychlogically victimized.

Eventually Dengler is sent to a makeshift camp where he meets four other prisoners and forms a close relationship with POW Duane Martin played by 'Steve Zahn'.Conditions in the camp are horrific but Hertzog treats them matter of factly and they are not overdone, as in most other peoples hands they would have been.With there feet Manacled to boards and hands handcuffed the prisoners can only roam the guarded camp by day; at night it is impossible, and this is where Dieter finds a way to pick the handcuffs with a nail he secretly procures.

With food being scarce for not only the prisoners but the guards also, conditions get worse and Dieter hatches a plot to escape.The escape is a success and Dieter finally manages to escape by waving down a passing helicopter but his buddy Duane is unfortanately killed.These final secenes are very moving!

Excellent performances here by the two main leads 'Christian Bale ' and ' Steve Zahn '
makes for a must see film.Hertzog turns in a fantastic movie here and it gets my highest accolade the CRYSTAL EGG award.