"Blood Diamond"

Leonardo DiCaprio
Djimon Hounsou
Jennifer Connelly
Kagiso Kuypers
Michael Sheen
Arnold Vosloo
Antony Coleman
Benu Mabhena
Anointing Lukola
Marius Weyers
Stephen Collins







R           143min           2006

“Blood Diamond” is about an ex-mercenary turned smuggler (DiCaprio), A Mende fisherman (Hounsou), amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman’s son, conscripted as a child solider into the brutal rebel forces ripping a wraith of torture and bloodshed across the country side.

This movie shines a light on something that Americans overlook just to have their diamonds and something that is the one of the reason that Africa is a face the problems it faces today.

“Blood Diamond” is a movie that tells a gripping tale without being too sentimental. This film showcase some of Africa’s beautiful country while its in the thralls of conflict. Every character has an arc and in those arcs you come to care for these characters. This is an exceptional film with 5 academy award nominations.

Filming in Africa, it shows some stunning countryside that is rarely seen unless the country is visited. But it also highlighted the conditions of a country being lost in conflict. The sea of tents, and the reason’s for them can be daunting and make you feel helpless. It is sad that this film is a fiction that could be in-fact a reality in our day and age.

Djimon Hounsou acting is spectacular. He shows the love of a father and the lengths he will go to for his family. He is gripping to watch and your heart goes out to him during his journey. He was truly a man lost in a world that he loved trying to keep his family together. Although nominated in the supporting actor category I felt that he was the star of this film.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays the ex-mercenary turned smuggler beautifully. At the start you know he is a despicable character doing his part to fuel the fire that is engulfing Africa. During his journey for the pink diamond he see hints that his character is facing a cross road in his life. Its not until he is faced with that life changing moment do you really know if he will make that turn or not.

Jennifer Connelly plays an American journalist in the middle of this conflict. I believed the heartbreak on her face and of her character. But I do believe she was too stunning as the journalist. The camera loves her and its probable hard for her to look bad, which she never did, even in the middle of bullets exploding around her. She is almost distracting but a vital part of the film.

Edward Zwick put together a great film. “Blood Diamond” highlights topics that are tragic and also have solution if the world would open its eyes to them. He shows the consequences that Africans face standing up to the problems and how much money is behind keeping our heads in the sand. This is a film that you should see, not just for the actors in the film but also for the message that Zwick is trying to tell.

I give it 5/5 Gs.