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Set in Sierra Leone, BLOOD DIAMOND explores the role of diamond trading in the African civil war of the late 1990s. Narrowly escaping death when his village is invaded by R.U.F. militia, farmer Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) is enslaved at a diamond mine and has his family taken from him. When he discovers an unusually large stone he buries it, knowing it may be his only tool for retrieving his family. While Vandy is imprisoned, white African diamond smuggler Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) overhears an angry R.U.F. leader shouting at the farmer about the missing diamond, and he gets Vandy out of jail, then bribes him with the promise that he will help find Vandy's family in return for half the diamond's worth. Bonded by a common goal, the two men clash over drastically different values, but manage to stick together in pursuit of the prize. Also playing a part is fearless American journalist Maddie Bowen (Jennifer Connolly), whose flirtations with Archer and obsession with the truth land her in the middle of the bloody action. As the three embark on a dangerous journey filled with close calls, unlikely bonds form that threaten to change Archer's unfeeling ways. Meanwhile, a plotline following Vandy's beloved son shows us the horror being done to and by child soldiers at the hands of the so-called freedom-fighting rebel forces. Addressing his serious subject with passion and skill, director Edward Zwick (THE LAST SAMURAI) delivers impressive action sequences that feel horrifically real without seeming excessive. While some critics have taken stabs at the film for its Hollywood elements, no one can argue against BLOOD DIAMOND's noble intentions or its stellar performances. To most viewers, the film is likely to provide a disturbing and educational look at a world many know little about.
I should note that I'm not much of a Leo Dicaprio fan, but I can admit he was quite good in this film. All of the acting was above average for an action movie, in fact. Jennifer Connelly was as good as ever, though her character didn't have the same depth as in roles she's previously played (Requiem for a Dream, Waking the Dead, etc.).
The action starts early, and there are only a few lulls in the middle. The story is interesting (see link above), even though it has a big political message. Luckily the politics are not as intrusive as they could have been - this movie weaves them in much like Lord of War did.
The cinematography is great, really demonstrating how some parts of Africa are absolutely beautiful.
I highly suggest seeing this film.
Blood Diamond. The title by itself is very telling.
The synopsis of the movie is very well balance and stays true to the storyline throughout the movie. Both main characters are engaging and sometimes show conflict in trusting one another. Leonardo's character has a one main objective, which is to take the diamond. And his antagonist is a simple farmer who steals a diamond that is on his property. Overall the story is told very well.
Cool movie that was definitely a fantastic value for what I paid.
So here's the funny part: I only bought this because of the "blood diamond pants" (google it) and I only paid .99 + $3 shipping. I don't even particularly like Dicaprio! However, this movie was pretty darn good. The story/writing is goood. The cinematography was good. The action was great. The acting was good. My only complaint, and it's pretty minor, is that Dicaprio's Rhodesian/South African accent was sub par (I've lived with South Africans). It was definitely a fantastic value for what I paid, and is on par with other Africa related action/dramas such as Tears of the Sun, Hotel Riwanda, and Last King of Scotland.
"Blood Diamond" got ripped off this year at the Academy Awards!! It is the absolute best movie that I have seen in a long time!! Full of understandable violence, it covers the civil war in 1999 in Sierra Leone, where rebel soldiers conscript children to disrupt the country while they search for diamonds in the rivers and streams to pawn for more weapons to overthrow the government of the country.
Enter Djimon Hounsou, who plays Solomon Vandy, a father whose family has been attacked and separated by this civil war. Himself conscripted to look for diamonds in a river, he finds a huge one and hides it between his toes to eventually bury near the river. He barely escapes after burying the diamond when a government unit attacks the rebel unit where the draftees are working.
Enter Leonardo Di Caprio, who plays Danny Archer, a mercenary soldier from Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), who saw his mother raped and murdered and his father decapitated and hanged in their barn when he was 9 years old. He learns about the diamond while in a prison camp with Solomon. It becomes his obsession to find the diamond and escape the continent of Africa where there is so much upheaval all the time in so many countries.
Enter Jennifer Connelly, who plays Mandy Bowan, an American journalist and photographer, who lives on the wild side but is mainly interested in showing the world about the exploitation going on in Sierra Leone and the destruction of so many lives over the greed of diamond smuggling.
This unlikely trio end up together trying to find the diamond. Mandy cares only about the story. Danny wants the diamond and the money it will bring. Solomon only wants his family back together in peace.
Mandy helps Solomon find his wife and daughter in a refugee camp in Guinea using her connections with the United Nations. But Solomon's treasured son is still missing and may be dead. Solomon will not give up the search for this precious son, who he thinks will one day be a doctor.
The key to both mysteries--the diamond and the son--is at a spot called Kono in Sierra Leone. But getting to that spot is not easy and what they find there is so upsetting that it breaks your heart. That is all that I am going to tell you about this marvelous movie.
Leonardo Di Caprio was nominated for Best Actor for this performance, and rightly so. Djimon Hounsou was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and should have won. The movie was also nominated for Best Film Editing and Best Sound (2 nominations.) But why not Best Picture!!!
This movie goes over the rating scale of 5 out of 5. You have to see it to believe it. The cinematography is fantastic--so many beautiful scenes in Africa to photograph. Try not to concentrate on the violence, but think about how greed has ruined so many lives on our planet. At one point in the movie, it is even announced that the same thing happened in Africa with rubber, ivory, and oil.Read full review
Blood Diamond sheds light (as it should do) on the reality of what is going on in much of Africa: war, child soldiers, mercenaries, refugees, bad governance/corruption and of course... blood diamonds.
It is also a movie about human relations, hope and second chances, but most importantly about trust, love, and inner strength.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Arnold Vosloo, and the rest of the cast, have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is amazing)! Very well written and very well presented, the movie is without a doubt guaranteed to provide more than just a few thrills, not to mention a few tears.
The setting, the plot, the dialogues, and the music are all wonderful!
In short, Blood Diamond is a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection.Read full review