Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: HD DVD Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen Number of Items: 1 Release Date: July 03, 2007 Running Time: 143 minutes Studio: Warner Home Video Theatrical Release Date: December 08, 2006
Amazon.com: Leonardo DiCaprio puts a handsome face on an ugly industry: In parts of Africa, diamond mining fuels civil warfare, killing thousands of innocents and drafting preteen children as vicious soldiers. DiCaprio (The Departed) plays Danny Archer, a white African soldier-turned-diamond-smuggler who gets wind of a large raw jewel found by Solomon Vandy, a native fisherman (Djimon Hounsou, In America) recently escaped from enslavement by a brutal rebel leader. Archer offers a deal: He'll help Vandy find his war-scattered family if Vandy will share the diamond with him. Drawn into this web of exploitation is journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly, Little Children), who agrees to help if Archer will tell her the details of how conflict diamonds make their way into the hands of the corporations who sell them to the Western world. DiCaprio is compelling because he never flinches from Archer's utter ruthlessness; Archer ends up doing the morally justifiable thing, but only because his desperate greed has led him to it. Hounsou and Connelly, though saddled with all the moral and political speeches, rise above the cant and keep the movie's treacherously formulaic plot rooted in human characters. But in the end, the story won't stick with you as much as the dead stillness in the child soldiers' eyes; the horror of African civil strife refuses to be contained by Blood Diamond's uplifting message--and the movie is all the more potent as a result. --Bret Fetzer
Description: An ex-mercenary turned smuggler (Leonardo DiCaprio). A Mende fisherman (Djimon 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 soldier into the brutal rebel forces ripping a swath of torture and bloodshed across the alternately beautiful and ravaged countryside. Directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, The Last Samurai), this urgent, intensely moving adventure shapes gripping human stories and heart-pounding action into a modern epic of profound impact.
An outstanding action movie with a concurrent sentimentality ^ Blood Diamond (2006) is an outstanding action movie, with a heavy sentimental story running parallel, involving a mercenary and a diamond smuggler formerly of the South African army (played by Leonardo DiCaprio to perfection, including accent) with a variety of individuals, initially apart, but eventually interconnected considering the extent of their interaction and the length of the actual movie.
In this particular case, David Harewood is entirely convincing as a guerrilla commander, as is Jennifer Connelly playing a thin, single, young American news reporter. Arnold Vosloo is the mercenary commander, who is able to overthrow entire ruling governments of sovereign nations on a moment's notice, from his brigade strength military force comprising helicopters, modern weaponry and logistics of all kinds, in between arms deals worldwide.
From a didactic point of view, the script is entirely successful, as it brings into focus the monumental scale of refugee camps, family powerlessness, homelessness, poverty, anarchy and chaos found in civil wars in Africa.
A running theme, is that to survive in each and every situation, at least 5 to 10 years of professional military service is necessary, most of it seen in combat, deployment and action. Rocket launchers, AK-47, mortar, IED's, sniper fire, pistol firefights are a constant, as much in the downtown areas as in the country side and dense jungles. It shows the ease of recruiting orphan children 10 years of age into a guerrilla, through the usual military hazing and indoctrination, socialization to bring about in them extreme values, behaviors, and a trigger-happy mentality. The sheer number of troops shooting to thrill with large caliber machine guns mounted on the back of a pickup trucks never ceases to amaze, as are the number of bloodbaths of innocent civilian men, women and children.
The diamond labor camp in and of itself is not entirely surprising considering the reduimentary mining techniques also used in North America 100 to 200 years ago. The disguises, bogus identities used in Africa are also the norm, as nobody is ever really who they claim to be, politicians being CIA undercover agents, journalists being arms or gem smugglers, etc.
From an acting point of view, DiCaprio has honed his technique immensely, never losing his grip on the character, accent and ability in demonstrating the desperation of a smuggler who needs to close his last, ultimate diamond deal, with a number of international parties, laundering diamonds and gems as easily as cash. Connolly's approach is also interesting, from an eagerness in being sexier and more provocative than shy and reserved. The quality and number of the supporting actors is also remarkable, assisting in maintaining the suspense and viewers on the edge of their seats.
From a soundtrack perspective, s fair bit is reminiscent of the world music heard on Jean Luc Ponty's Tchokola, while the cinematography is flawless, sharp, never dull or boring except for a number of quieter moments, bringing into focus time and again the beauty of various landscapes in Western Africa, appealing to the sentimentality of viewers.
The picture deserved a perfect score, with the only difference that it forgot that it was an entertainment vehicle in its final moments, switching gears to a paternalistic, moralizing, and preaching tone, erasing the right of viewers to independent thought and opinion, suggesting they swallow the United Nations outlook hook, line and sinker concerning diamonds and arms trade. Another weakness is the oversimplification of the problems in the region, laying the blame squarely on the doorstep of a diamond mania.
In sum, this is a remarkable and unique release, from the acting, scenes, music and entertainment value, and the humanity of the people that shines through despite the horrors of civil wars time and again.
good ^ got it for a friend because she was looking for it and couldn't find it. she really really likes it.
Dramatic but Real ^ Great storyline without any un-real romantic makes you believe this is what happens. There are many other great movies like Enemy at the Gate, Pearl Harbour all failed at romance. Characters are so real like watching documentary films. Should be awarded Oscar. Five stars!
He just gets better and better ^ This is one of my favorite films with Leonardo. I was not a fan of his when he first came out as a "heart throb" years ago. Now I am convinced that he is one of the top actors out there. This show is a must see. Yes, I just talked about the acting--but the message of the show is something I feel that everyone needs to be educated on. The situation involving the diamonds is a real life concern and I think this show, even though hollywood, does a beautiful job expressing it.
My favorite movie ^ Having spent time in Africa in various places and even met the guys from EO I have to say, this movie is great! Especially DiCaprio made an excellent performance and must have had an excellent language coach for the African dialect (South Afrikan dialect as well as Afrenglish of West Africa); great picture, great story, good action;
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