KCR: Tears of the Sun (movie, war)

Not a war movie, but more of an adventure, this movie is about a SEAL team tasked to evacuate VIP in a war-torn Nigeria that turned into a major mess after a bloody coup and ethnic cleansing had started. As you can imagine, the mission NEVER goes as planned. When they get there, they find the good doctor with 70 people... and she won't leave them behind. So what do you think happens?

It's so obviously a tear jerker, about how people deal with horrors of war, and how each deal with the horror as they can... and you know there will be a big battle at the end, when the bad guys caught up.

The good guys here are not cliche, and the bad guys are... but that is expected, eh? The only problem I have is one of the sequences, when all of the SEAL team started standing up and firing on full auto. It is, to me, unrealistic. But then, it's one of the best war movies around.

KCR: Sniper Reloaded (movie, war)

Sniper Reloaded is a new chapter in the "Sniper" franchise (that had previously spawned 3 movies starring Tom Berenger as Tom Beckett). This time, Brandon Beckett, Tom's son, is on a peace mission in UN to extract a foreign citizen when a sniper ambushed their team, apparently killing everyone (except Beckett himself, who fell into a ditch). He survived and somehow made it to safety. His father's old partner, Miller (Billy Zane from the first movie) came to help "train" Beckett to confront the sniper, only known as "The Italian". There is a conspiracy that reach up the ranks, and only one will be walking away from this encounter.

The problem with this movie is the whole plot is rather contrived. Why send the "rescue team" at all if the sniper was already there? Can an American soldier in a UN base in Africa just go AWOL without anyone even checking?

And they had to redo the "shot through the sniper-scope" thing AGAIN, sheesh. Seems you can't do a sniper movie without that cliche nowadays. It was in "Saving Private Ryan" and it was in at least one of the previous Sniper movies as well. And now here is it again.

Still, if you turn your brain mostly off it is somewhat enjoyable, with no major quibbles.

Rating: Try it (i.e. rent it)

Sniper: Reloaded

KCR: Countdown, the Liberators (modern, war, novel)

Countdown is a new series from Tom Kratman, and Liberators is the first volume (next is "M day"). It is a completely self-contained novel so don't fret about not getting the picture. My main problem with it is there is a LOT of setup for a few bits of action.

Basically, Wes Stauer was a retired soldier, with a girl who likes him, but is bored out of his skull. When the young son of an African tribal chief (a rich one) was kidnapped by a rival tribe, Stauer was recruited to head a rescue. What instead happened is the creation of a new mercenary force, complete with armor, infantry, and close air support. Light armor from South Africa, infantry from all over (mostly ex-Western powers), and quite a few Soviet-bloc helicopters. The novel deals mainly with the formation and training of the force, the few actions the force was sent on (defeating some pirates in the area for recon) and how the "prince" learned the reality of life in Africa (he grew up in the US).

The book is slow, because the cast was a huge ensemble, with crew from all over doing various different things. Even Stauer's girlfriend (ER nurse) had to get survival and weapons training, and you can imagine a pampered city girl may not do too well in such a situation.

If you like the sort of "build-up" Countdown may be for you. If you prefer right into the action, something by Dale Brown may be more up your alley.

Rating: Try it

Countdown: The Liberators (on Amazon)

KCR: Hidden Empire (novel, near future)

Cover of Hidden EmpireHidden Empire by Orson Scott Card is a near-future where one man may have used nefarious means to manipulate the United States into electing him president, and he may have plans for the entire world next. Averell Torrent may be the most evil man existed, or the most farsighted man ever. Captain Bart "Cole" Coleman knew first hand what Torrent is capable of. When a new pandemic broke out in Africa and threaten to spread around the world, Cole must decide which side he is on, and incidentally, the fate of the world.

Say what you will about Orson Scott Card... he knows how to create characters that are believeable, even though his world view is hard to swallow. I have a hard time describing this book to my friend, because a lot of this book's setup was in the previous book, called "Empire".

The plot twists aren't that difficult to follow. There are no major twists and turns and surprises. Most of the surprises are in the way characters develope, and how they manage to have faith without getting preachy.

However, the book bogs down when there's little to no action, as you really get inside the characters' heads, and that can be quite boring to some people, namely, me.

Again, the book is hard to describe, and when there's little action, the book starts to fail. Still, it is an interesting read.

Rating: Try it

Hidden Empire (on Amazon)