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Blood
Diamond
It's not often that we see an entertaining movie in the
theaters these days, that also passes along true bits of
history, and a warning as well. Edward Zwick's latest film,
Blood Diamond manages both, in a truly satisfying
way.
It could
have been a heist film, if not for the serious tone. Danny
Archer (Leo DiCaprio) a soldier of fortune, trading weapons
to rebel leaders for diamonds, and then smuggling the conflict
diamonds out of Sierra Leone, and into Libya. When he is
caught, and sent to prison, he hears about a giant pink
diamond, hidden by it's finder, Solomon Vandi (Djimon Hounsou).
When
they are both released, they end up as an unusual team,
along with journalist Maddy Bowen(Jennifer Connelly), in
an attempt to rescue Solomon's family, and the diamond,
and perhaps give Archer a second chance at a life out of
Africa.
Edward
Zwick has some experience in telling a personal story in
a grand way. Similar to The
Last Samurai, Blood Diamond is a personal story
in a larger picture, where we are close into Archer and
Solomon's lives, as they interact in some of the most violent
and terrifying circumstances. We get to see Archer's life
turn upside down as a man he only wanted to use changes
into someone he wants to help.
And
Leonardo DiCaprio does a fantastic job of portraying Danny
Archer. I was pretty set in thinking that DiCaprio's acting
talents were limited to on-screen heartthrobs, but his performance
in Blood Diamond has proven me wrong, and I'm delighted
to admit that. He is in excellent form, and while his African
accent seems jarring in the commercials, it's perfect in
the movie.
I was
fully expecting to have to force myself into seeing DiCaprio
as an African smuggler, but with a few tricks from Zwick
(having DiCaprio wear sunglasses in his opening scenes really
helped the blending), Leo is gone, and all that's left is
the smuggler. He also has a great chemistry with Jennifer
Connelly on screen, as they banter with a casual, cutting
ease.
I have
to give props to Djimon Hounsou as well. The man is always
incredible, but he ripped my heart out in this film, in
scenes where he is trying to reach his family from beyond
a chain link fence. Hounsou has always given powerful, emotional
performances, but as Solomon Vandy, being separated from
his family, and exposed to some of the cruelest violence
a man can experience, he has a performance worthy of an
Oscar.
Speaking
of violence, this is indeed, a violent film. And not in
a glorious, we're-making-the-bad-guys-suffer kind of way.
This is violence in it's most painful form, death for the
sake of death alone, and what makes it harder to watch is
the fact that it is, in a way, real. This is what was happening
6 years ago in Africa.
While
part of me knows that this was filmed on a set, there's
another part of me that can't believe that this is what
was (and in some ways, is still) happening in parts of Africa,
where innocent people are gunned down by rebels and governments
alike, simply because they are in the way. It's been filmed
in such a way so that you feel as if you are directly in
the line of fire, with lots of hand held shots, almost as
if this were a piece of a documentary. It's brutal, and
makes it that much harder to ignore even the possibility
that it never happened.
There
is a double ending to the film, and even though it could
have survived without the conclusion shown, it is much more
satisfying with the extra scenes. They also help reconnect
the story with actual historical events, bringing the movie
around to a situation the audience can understand and relate
to.
Blood
Diamond is a serious movie, about a serious subject
that isn't talked about a lot. Where do our diamonds come
from? Are they so precious to us and as our status symbols
that we don't care about the slavery and death that dug
this diamond out of the ground? While at its core Blood
Diamond is still a movie telling a story, it will also
hopefully be that rare gem of a film that makes us care
about what happens in other parts of the world, and perhaps
even make an effort to change.
Rating:
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