 Synopsis:
In the heart of Sierra Leone, where the
diamond trade consumes nearly every life
in some way or another, Solomon Vandy (Djimon
Hounsou) lives a life of peace with his
wife and children. Solomon's world is
shattered after rebels invade his village,
capture his family and force him to work
in the diamond mines. Solomon finds an
extremely large diamond and hides it
during his time in the camp. Leonardo
DiCaprio plays Danny Archer, a south
African smuggler working for British
diamond importers. Upon hearing of the
diamond, he is determined to use Solomon
to find it. Archer enlists the help of
Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), a
journalist doing an expose on the
corruption and horrifying truth about
diamonds imported from Africa. The three
journey across Africa to help Solomon find
his family and the diamond.
The Freak's
Rating: B+ : It is customary for me to take a few days
to fully digest a film before spitting out
a take on it. Indigestive takes, if you
will, tend to only take bullet points. If
you see a movie with me, unless it is so
powerfully one direction or the other, I
will rarely want to discuss it. I have
just recently digested Blood Diamond...so
here we go.
Blood
Diamond teeters on the fantastic side but
never quite gets there. It is a wonderful
film, but has script issues that keep it
from excellence. Had the romance been
omitted entirely, this is a strong A film,
no question. The director tried to
manufacture the romance gingerly and that
is apparent in his handling of certain
scenes and shots, but it never feels
authentic. DiCaprio is probably giving his
best performance with a spot-on accent and
Hounsou is amazing. He steals every scene
he is in. The Academy Awards slip further
in my book each year with their choices
and that is evident here. Though I still
thought Jackie Earle Haley should have won
the supporting actor award instead of Alan
Arkin, Hounsou's performance was neck and
neck with Haley's and definitely ahead of
Arkin.
Blood Diamond succeeds in the social
stances it attempts. The desire for bling
does seem quite petty afterwards. The real
sadness for me was the brainwashing that
rebels can do to uneducated youth. This
continues today in Dar fur and other
places. The young actors in the film did a
wonderful job performing powerful scenes
and should not go unnoticed. Edward Zwick
has directed a number of films I have
loved, including Glory and Courage Under
Fire. He does a great job of creating a
history-laden, action-infused
(entertaining but not rooted for) and
sympathetic story. There is a piece of
humanity woven into each of his films and
Blood Diamond is no different. It is a
good film that sadly falls a little short
of excellent.
Sebastian's
Rating: A :
now this was a good movie... its also sad whats
happening in africa where they r taking innocent
children of the streets to fight there war :(
Eric's
Rating: B :
Maybe I just don't re-watch movies. I thought it
was great and shed some perspective on a child's
view and how vulnerable their minds are at a
young age in that culture. Should be an A but
I'm not running to see it again either.
Jen's Rating - A - I
enjoyed this movie very much. It has a
good message, wonderful history and great
acting. I was captivated the entire time
and have thought about it several times
since watching it. Oh and Leo is one of my
childhood crushes so that certainly
doesn't hurt :)
Angie's
Rating: A : I loved this film. The movie
weaves storyline with current issues and real
tragedy. African history and how other
countries have shaped and influenced the ongoing
war between the people there has had a hold on
my interest since my freshmen year in college.
The accents are dead on, the acting is amazing.
I believed every word from the two main
characters... leave out the reporter's love
interest in the diamond smuggler which was the
weakest part of the film... and I would have
given it an A+! (If you liked this film, see:
Tears of the Sun and/or read: King Leopold's
Ghost by Adam Hochschild) Definitely a must own
in my collection.
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