Bruce Willis’ unfortunate retirement from acting has created a wave of nostalgia among action film enthusiasts, reminiscing over the memorable roles he’s played. Among these is “Tears of the Sun,” a 2003 action drama directed by Antoine Fuqua, known for “The Equalizer” trilogy. The film has experienced a resurgence in popularity on the free streaming platform Tubi, reaching the third spot on its most-watched list as of October 1, a position it maintains to this day (source: FlixPatrol).

In “Tears of the Sun,” Willis portrays Navy SEAL A. K. Waters, who, along with his team, is sent to Nigeria with the mission to extract U.S. citizen and humanitarian worker Dr. Lena Fiore Kendricks, played by Monica Bellucci, from a Catholic mission amidst the country’s turmoil. However, Kendricks refuses to leave without her patients and fellow doctors, exponentially complicating their mission. The SEALs must navigate through the jungle to ensure everyone’s safety.

Will they all get out in one piece? One thing’s for sure — what didn’t get out safe was the film’s reputation among critics.

Upon its March 2003 release, “Tears of the Sun” did not fare well with critics, holding a mere 34% approval rating from 154 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Most critics found it to be a typical action movie, not quite qualifying as one of the worst Bruce Willis films on the site, yet sufficiently flawed to be noteworthy.

There were, however, positive opinions, such as Roger Ebert’s review, where he awarded the film three stars. Ebert remarked, “‘Tears of the Sun’ is a film constructed out of rain, cinematography, and the face of Bruce Willis. These materials are sufficient to build a film almost as good as if there had been a better screenplay.” Despite its modest critical reception, the film did not perform well financially, earning just $86 million against a budget estimated between $75 and $100 million.

The impact of the film was quite literal for Willis, who filed a lawsuit against Revolution Studios, claiming physical and mental harm caused by a forehead injury from debris on set. The lawsuit was settled out of court. Since its release, fans have speculated whether this injury may be connected to his later diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, adding an extra layer of poignancy to the film’s already challenging narrative.