Tears of the Sun (2003) is a war action drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci, and Cole Hauser. Set in the backdrop of a fictional civil war in Nigeria, the film explores themes of duty, sacrifice, and the human cost of conflict, particularly focusing on humanitarian crises during wartime.

The story revolves around Lieutenant A.K. Waters (played by Bruce Willis), a Navy SEAL commander, who is sent on a mission to Nigeria with his elite team of soldiers. Their objective is to extract Dr. Lena Kendricks (played by Monica Bellucci), an American doctor working at a remote mission in the war-torn jungle. The civil war has erupted after a military coup, and ethnic cleansing is being carried out by rebel forces.

Dr. Kendricks is reluctant to leave because of the Nigerian refugees under her care, and she refuses to abandon them. Faced with this moral dilemma, Lt. Waters must decide whether to follow his orders and extract only Dr. Kendricks or stay and protect the refugees. His conscience ultimately leads him to go against orders, and he and his team escort Dr. Kendricks and the refugees on a dangerous journey to safety.

As the team makes its way through the jungle, they face relentless pursuit by the rebel forces and encounter the horrors of the ongoing ethnic cleansing, witnessing entire villages being wiped out. The journey becomes a test of survival, with the SEALs battling overwhelming odds to protect the group.