Blood Diamond
By MovieCritic on 04-08-2008
Blood Diamond was recognized with numerous awards and nominations (most of them for actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou) from the Academy, the Golden Globes, the Critics' Choice, the Screen Actors Guild, and the NAACP Image Awards. Set in the context of the Sierra Leone Civil War (1991-2002), it depicts an alliance between Danny Archer (DiCaprio), a Rhodesian ex-mercenary of European descent, and Solomon Vandy (Hounsou), a Mende fisherman. Rationals will enjoy this film's action-packed portrayal of historical events. Idealists will be engaged by the moral questions raised by the film and the way that Solomon and Danny start out in an opportunistic relationship and end up in a precarious friendship. Guardians will appreciate the heartbreak Solomon experiences as he tries to reunite his family. Classified as an adventure-drama, the movie may lean a bit more to the "drama" side than Artisans would prefer but should still be enjoyable for most.
The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) invades the village where Solomon lives and kidnaps him for work in diamond fields, which supply the gems the rebel army uses to finance its operations. Some of these black market diamonds make their way into the legitimate trade, large corporations such as De Beers. Solomon's young son, along with other boys, is brainwashed and trained as a warrior. While at work, he finds a rare pink diamond and hides it. His overseer sees him hide it, but at that moment, both of them are captured by government forces and imprisoned. While there, Solomon meets Danny Archer. Danny is on the other side of the diamonds-for-arms business. He learns about the hidden diamond and allies with Solomon, who will take him to the diamond in exchange for help getting his family back together. Reporter Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) helps the two men in their quests; her motive is getting inside information about how Western diamond buyers are connected to bloodshed in Africa. Danny gives his life but their quest is successful, ultimately leading to an investigative article in Maddy's magazine and the reunification of Solomon's family, and contributing to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, a means to verify the origin of rough diamonds in the international marketplace. The many scenes of military actions are disturbing though not gratuitously violent, including one in which rebels cut off the hands of people they capture and several that show children being taught how to shoot and fight. Verdict: Stands up to the acclaim it received when it was released.
I'm not a big DiCaprio fan and was surprised at how much I liked this movie. I also like the fact that it reveals a lot about how diamonds are collected in Africa for Diamond Buyers. I thought Jennifer Connelly was a little weak her role didn't really stand out to me but all in all I liked Blood Diamond.