IMDb plot summary: A Special-Ops commander leads his team into the Nigerian jungle in order to rescue a doctor who will only join them if they agree to save 70 refugees too.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Starring Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser, and Eamonn Walker.
(Some minor spoilers.)
I understand and appreciate what this movie was trying to do. It has a good premise and could have been very powerful. My main problem, however, is that even with a 2-hour runtime, none of the characters get all that much development. Even Bruce Willis doesn't offer us much aside from the "good guy hero," and when his team of soldiers agree to go with him to escort the refugees, we're really not given any reason for their decision. We barely see the characters interact with each other on a personal level, and that undercuts the impact the movie could have had here. For a movie that stresses the importance of seeing individuals as human, not commodities or "packages," everyone is kept oddly at arms length, leaving me feeling very cold toward everyone. The themes involved are too powerful to be just swept aside in favor of long shootouts, but, unfortunately, that's exactly what happens.
1.5 stars.
Flickchart: #1730 out of 2212, below Top Gun and above The Forgotten.
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