An attempt at a classy thriller which is kind of ruined by being too serious and sad. Whatever happened to a light touch? Or some Hitchcock glamour. OK I know it involves African genocide but its in a fictional country (albeit one based on Zimbabwe) so don't get all high and mighty on me. Also it's got Sean Penn in the lead as a grieving widower - you cast someone like Harrison Ford and its grieving lite, a little bit tormented but mostly interesting. But Sean suffers too much pain - its written all over his face, and he's not fun to be around. Nicole Kidman is pretty in a not-much role.
There's some liveliness in the middle section which involves the bombing of a bus but in general the film is weighed down by its African curse - sadness, misery, death. (Not even much of a romance between the leads. And you keep waiting for some comic relief from Christine Keener but it doesn't come)
NB how does Nickers get into the "secured" area of the UN so quickly? And note also how Hollywood is comfortable enough to make films about Africa with white heroes and black villains again?
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