A BRUCE Willis movie is the last place you'd expect to find an intelligent discussion of mankind's endless capacity for needless violence and brutality.

But then Tears Of The Sun is not your usual Willis film, at least not for the first 90 minutes, when the shaven headed leading man has little dialogue to speak of.

Only during the bombastic, flag-waving climax, when a small platoon of brave US soldiers take on the might of a heavily armed militia group does the film disappointingly revert to type.

Lieutenant AK Waters (Willis) is a veteran member of the elite Navy SEAL unit, which is despatched to war torn Nigeria to rescue US citizen, Dr Lena Kendricks (Monica Bellucci), a respected medic who runs a mission for injured refugees.

When the US troops arrive, they discover that the good doctor will not leave without her patients. Lena pricks Waters' conscience and persuades the SEALs to escort her wards through the treacherous jungle to nearby Cameroon, where they will be safe from harm.

En route, they come under fire from the local militia, and Waters finds himself developing feelings for Lena, which could seriously compromise the objectivity of his mission.

Tears Of The Sun is littered with some truly shocking sequences, such as Waters and co stumbling upon rebels conducting ethnic cleansing in a village.

Willis cuts an imposing figures in his khakis and he conveys some of his character's inner torment, risking the life of his men to deliver Dr Kendricks and her refugees to the safety of the Cameroon border.

However, all of the good work is undone in the closing half hour with a lazy slam bang finale, complete with pyrotechnics and a rousing speech from Willis to his men.

Suddenly, Tears Of The Sun becomes Die Hard With A Conscience. What a shame.

Rating: 6/10