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All Movie Info
Starring:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, Arnold Vosloo, Basil Wallace, Jimi Mistry, Michael Sheen, Marius Weyers, Stephen Collins, Ato Essandoh, Percy Matsemela, Nick Reding, Grant Swanby, Winston Ntshona, Zenzo Ngqobe, Clare Holman, Karen Haacke, Antony Coleman, David Harewood, Ronnie Nyakale, Tony Kgoroge, Klemens Becker, Akin Omotoso, Chiméne Costa, Martin Abdul-Jabbar, Gaurav Chopra, Karl McMillan, David S. Lee, Jonathan Pienaar, Tyrone Keogh, Nathaniel Ramabulana, Carol Behane, Nigel Harman, Karen Haacke, Kagiso Kuypers, Benu Mabhena, Anointing Lukola, Ntare Mwine, Bouba Badiane, Dini Nondumo, Tau Maserumule, Adetokumboh M'Cormack, Sonni Chidiebere, Nnamdi Onyeiwu, Nhlanhla Mavimbela, Mfundo Pisani, Phado Bahola, Thabang Mothle, Buhle Seya, Sizwe Makapela, Mduduzi Mabaso, Mlungisi Hlophe, Kedibone Tholo, Koketso Mojela
Directed By:
Edward Zwick
Written By:
Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz
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Blood Diamond (2006)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
June 28th, 2007
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Blood Diamond alternates between superb action and heartwrenching drama in a way few movies could. This could be a result of director Edward Zwick, who has helmed Glory, Courage under Fire, and The Last Samurai. It could be the subject matter, which offers an unsparing look into the ravaged war-torn country of Sierra Leone, and the ruthless mercenaries who exploit the tragedy to purloin diamonds and sell them to greedy companies in Europe. Children are recruited as soldiers, they carry automatic weapons and shoot innocent civilians as they plunder and burn villages. Leonard DiCaprio is Danny Archer, a native of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) who is one of the aforementioned mercenaries, who supplies precious stones to a British firm. While in jail, he hears about a fisherman named Solomon (Hounsou) whose son has been kidnapped by the rebels, and who himself was forced to work as a diamond digger. He uncovered a priceless pink diamond, which Danny hopes to locate and make a fortune from. So, he offers to help Solomon find his son, and the rest of his family, with the assistance of an American journalist (Connelly).
This sad, chaotic environment is presented with no restraint, and, as in most civil wars, it is difficult to know who the real good guys are. The rebels commit as many atrocities as the government forces, and millions are displaced and butchered in the process, while the rest of the world looks away. The movie offers sharp political commentary, and like Hotel Rwanda, makes the point that the plight of ordinary Africans caught in brutal situations such as these are routinely ignored by the U.S and Europe and even the UN, which could easily intervene and stop such crimes. It exposes not only the savage nature of the conflict itself, but also the dirty business of international diamond smuggling and trading, which perpetuates the cycle of violence, and stands to lose profit if the fighting stops.
DiCaprio is excellent, this is undoubtedly one of his best performances, compelling, mature, and intense, far from his boyish safety net that made him a star about a decade ago. He has really gown up and emerged as a surprisingly versatile and talented actor. Archer undergoes a transformation, selfish and seemingly indifferent to human suffering at first, then becoming committed to saving lives and putting the bad guys in jail. It is thoroughly convincing and occurs gradually, and he emerges as an unlikely hero. DiCaprio's accent is so-so, a weird Dutch-English mix it would seem, but at least it is consistent in quality from beginning to end, though the quality is certainly not very good.
Hounsou is the real star, I feel, a simple man whose journey back to the place he hid the diamond is secondary to finding his wife and children, and saving his son. He represents millions of others, people whose relatives have perished in the barbaric infernos of war that have swept across Africa in the last several decades, and continue to rage in the Congo and Sudan. Hounsou is marvelous, to say the least, able to engage us emotionally and capture the agony of a man who has lost everything dear to him and hoping with fierce devotion that he can reclaim it.
This movie had an impact on me. It is both inspiring and deeply troubling. It is powerful and riveting. It works as entertainment on the most basic level, offering shootouts, explosions, and the like, but also has quality and substance that give it a deeper resonance. What a terrific film.
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