> Blood Diamond

Blood Diamond

Directed by: Edward Zwick

Cast:

Leonardo DiCaprio - Danny Archer
Djimon Hounsou - Solomon Vandy
Jennifer Connelly - Maddy Bowen
Kagiso Kuypers - Dia Vandy
Arnold Vosloo .... Colonel Coetzee



A little bit of history first...............Blood Diamond tells the story of illicit diamond smuggling that was going on in the Sierra Leone during the civil war that broke out in the 1990s. The money gained from smuggling was used to fund the R.U.F. (Revolutionary United Front) rebels and the war. The rebels used to raid villages and settlements and kill, slaughter and capture people to work in the diamond fields. The diamonds procured through these means were known as conflict diamonds. RUF was mainly a rebel group without any agenda as such and was mainly concerned about the wealth that was earned from the illegal diamond trade. Liberia a neighbouring country was involved in the trade and funding the rebels.

Solomon(can't think of a more apt name) Vandy is a husband, father, a proud Mende tribesman and a fisherman by profession. An attack on his village by a renegade RUF general sees him separated from his wife and children. Solomon ends up in the diamond fields working as a slave for the RUF. Danny Archer is a soldier of fortune (as he puts it himself) from Zimbabwe who works for the international diamond merchant/trader Van De Kaap (read De Beers). Danny smuggles diamonds from Sierra Leone to Liberia in exchange for arms and ammunitions. Maddy Bowen is the battle hardened war journo who is in search of that exclusive scoop. She is also investigating the connection between Van De Kaap and their attempts to purchase conflict diamonds and indirectly fuel the civil war.

One day while working Vandy finds a rather large pink diamond which he manages to hide from the RUF but not before the rebel general manages to find him lurking around the place where he hid the stone. Before Solomon could be harmed by the general, the government troops raid the diamond field and all hell breaks loose. Solomon manages to run away only to be captured by the troops and put in jail. This is where Danny, who is caught smuggling diamonds over to liberia, overhears the general accuse Solomon of hiding the pink diamond. As if fate had their lives intertwined Danny tells solomon he could find him his family in exchange for the diamond. After much persistance and a in time of desparation Vandy agrees to Dannys terms. The trio are dependent on each other since Maddy wants evidence which Danny has, while Danny need Maddy's help for finding Solomons family which in turn gets him the diamond. The rest of the movie is their attempts at recovering the pink diamond, finding Vandy's son who has been taken in by the RUF and their run-ins with the troops and rebels.

The movie though comes out like an action caper is not without a social message. The message is to stem the flow and purchase of all conflict diamonds. Edward Zwick direction is top notch. The pacing drags a bit but overall its a action packed rollercoaster with a pinch of grim reality, hope, human bonding, despair and more importantly a social message. He finds just about the right mix of action, thrill, emotion and drama. The movie could have been ended a bit earlier and could have been made more shorter but it would have lost an important message and would have just turned into another action flick. Djimon Hounsou is a revelation, his work as the grief stricken father, a man wanting to buy his freedom is nothing short of brilliant. An award worthy performance indeed. His display of rage/revenge during the movies climax gives you goosebumps. Leonardo DiCaprio as the fortune seeking Zimbabwean mercenary is one of the best roles he has played till date. Danny Archer is one of the characters people will remember for quite some time. Jennifer Connelly as Maddy Bowen is fine, though she hardly gets much screen time or scenes to show off her skills. The rest of the cast play their part above expectation and truly help the film excel in the acting department. It's truly flawless in that regard. Cinematographer Eduardo Serra manages to capture the ravaged cities, villages of Sierra Leone, the civil war and the destruction it wreaks. The background score is nice with some native tunes and gels nicely with the on screen action and drama.

All in all its brilliant movie which sheds light on a conflict borne out of commercial interests of certain organisations and the price that humans have to pay for it. An exceptional movie and a must watch.

Rating: 8/10