Blood Diamond (A or 4/4 stars)
In 1999, Civil War broke out in the small African nation of Sierra Leone. 'Blood Diamond', superbly directed by Edward Zwick, tells the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a Rhodesian diamond smuggler who works indirectly for the world-renowned Van De Kaap Jewelers, and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a simple fisherman. Danny is white, Solomon is black; their class is completely different. Yet, a large, hidden pink diamond decides their fate as partners joined in a race against their enemies. These enemies are the rebellious diamond cartels named the R.U.F., led by Captain Poison (a terrifying David Harewood). To me, this movie has it all: suspense, drama, humor (when needed), action, story and, most importantly, it moves me.
While in jail for smuggling, Danny Archer discovers that Solomon (taken from his family and forced to dig for diamonds) had hidden this all-important pink diamond somewhere in the foothills where he worked. With the aid of a beautiful American journalist, Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), Danny & Solomon skirt some dangerous situations and drudge their way from town to town, tribe to tribe, ally to ally, rebel unit to rebel unit 'til they reach their diamond destination. The physical & emotional journey that these men go on as they use alter egos, costumes, weaponry and street-know-how is both harrowing & gripping.
Do they reach the hiding place? Is the precious stone still there? Can Danny & Maddy live up to their promise of reuniting Solomon with his refugee family? Are they even alive? Will Danny be able to put himself second to Solomon, and obtain the diamond so that he can leave Africa for good? Each main character goes through a metamorphosis as the film progresses & it is chilling and exhilarating to see it unfold. All of them have a dream, a goal in mind. And each character discovers that those initial dreams mean very little by the end of the journey. The meaningful aspects and importance of 'life' comes to the forefront.
Leonardo DiCaprio has, once again, proven me wrong. I've never seen an actor become a character as convincingly and with as much gusto as DiCaprio does. Danny Archer is not a loathsome man, but he's far from admirable, & hard to empathize with. Leo is able to execute Danny's humanity quite perfectly. Along with his role in The Departed, he stands out as one of, if not THE best overall actor this year. Djimon Hounsou is outstanding as a man who will stop at nothing to form his family again; fearless & true! And Jennifer Connelly impresses, as well. The straightforward, colloquial portrayal of her character is the glue that holds Danny & Solomon together as they hastily, erratically proceed on their tedious trek through the deadly countryside.
This film is truly fantastic. Some scenes teeter-totter on melodrama, yet they don't take away from the overall effect of the film because the story (based on true events) is so rich & well-developed. If I have one small bone to pick with this film, it would be its editing. Some scenes don't transition quite as well from one to the next, but that's nitpicking. There is a lot of violence in the film, but it is realistic & necessary to show what actually happened to all of these unfortunate child soldiers, civilians, & fieldworkers whose blood was spilled for diamonds. The story & its execution is why the film thrives. And the ending is a true inspiration. Not since Return of the King have I been so surprisingly moved while watching a movie. 'Blood Diamond' IS a diamond in the rough of so many sub-par movies this year.
While in jail for smuggling, Danny Archer discovers that Solomon (taken from his family and forced to dig for diamonds) had hidden this all-important pink diamond somewhere in the foothills where he worked. With the aid of a beautiful American journalist, Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), Danny & Solomon skirt some dangerous situations and drudge their way from town to town, tribe to tribe, ally to ally, rebel unit to rebel unit 'til they reach their diamond destination. The physical & emotional journey that these men go on as they use alter egos, costumes, weaponry and street-know-how is both harrowing & gripping.
Do they reach the hiding place? Is the precious stone still there? Can Danny & Maddy live up to their promise of reuniting Solomon with his refugee family? Are they even alive? Will Danny be able to put himself second to Solomon, and obtain the diamond so that he can leave Africa for good? Each main character goes through a metamorphosis as the film progresses & it is chilling and exhilarating to see it unfold. All of them have a dream, a goal in mind. And each character discovers that those initial dreams mean very little by the end of the journey. The meaningful aspects and importance of 'life' comes to the forefront.
Leonardo DiCaprio has, once again, proven me wrong. I've never seen an actor become a character as convincingly and with as much gusto as DiCaprio does. Danny Archer is not a loathsome man, but he's far from admirable, & hard to empathize with. Leo is able to execute Danny's humanity quite perfectly. Along with his role in The Departed, he stands out as one of, if not THE best overall actor this year. Djimon Hounsou is outstanding as a man who will stop at nothing to form his family again; fearless & true! And Jennifer Connelly impresses, as well. The straightforward, colloquial portrayal of her character is the glue that holds Danny & Solomon together as they hastily, erratically proceed on their tedious trek through the deadly countryside.
This film is truly fantastic. Some scenes teeter-totter on melodrama, yet they don't take away from the overall effect of the film because the story (based on true events) is so rich & well-developed. If I have one small bone to pick with this film, it would be its editing. Some scenes don't transition quite as well from one to the next, but that's nitpicking. There is a lot of violence in the film, but it is realistic & necessary to show what actually happened to all of these unfortunate child soldiers, civilians, & fieldworkers whose blood was spilled for diamonds. The story & its execution is why the film thrives. And the ending is a true inspiration. Not since Return of the King have I been so surprisingly moved while watching a movie. 'Blood Diamond' IS a diamond in the rough of so many sub-par movies this year.