I�m sitting here, writing this, and wondering whether or not the engagement ring I have been wearing on my finger for 11 days now holds a conflict diamond. I really hope not but I guess I will never truly know since diamonds from all walks of life are jumbled together before being jewelry-set. After seeing Blood Diamond, I admit I will have some trouble sleeping tonight. I don�t know though if it�s due to terror or guilt but I�ll sway more towards sheer horror. There�s something very unsettling about watching 9 year olds relentlessly machine gunning down innocent victims. This movie is set eight years into the Sierra Leonean civil war (1999) where brutal fighting is not only killing thousands of innocent civilians but also forcing more than a million people out of their villages and homes and into refugee camps.
The opening scene is intense with members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) lining up civilians and chopping their hands off one by one, ostensibly to stop them from voting. Solomon Vandy (Hounsou), a married fisherman with three children, is lucky to escape the axing and is instead thrown on a truck heading to the diamond fields where he will be forced to work to support the RUF cause.
While working in a riverbed, Solomon discovers a massive pink diamond and decides to secretly bury it. Chaotic events ensue after a government attack and Solomon secretly buries his precious rock. The only people that know his secret are him and an RUF commander who was able to catch a glimpse of the massive pink stone before they were both captured.
In the meantime, we�re introduced to Danny Archer (DiCaprio), a selfish diamond-smuggler from Zimbabwe (formerly known as Rhodesia).
Archer learns of this pink diamond through an outburst from the previously mentioned RUF leader while all three are languishing in prison. Even though Solomon denies all knowledge of the rock Danny knows he�s hiding something and thus makes it his mission to break Solomon out and use him to get to the diamond.
Given the usual half-hearted attempts by actors to prepare vocally for a role, DiCaprio's performance in getting the Afrikaan mannerisms and accent down pat are admirable (Bravo Leonardo, Bravo).
Of course, Danny pretends it�s because he is concerned for Solomon�s wellbeing but his motives at first are purely selfish and typical of those who see black Africans as expendable tools.
Along the way Danny crosses paths with American magazine journalist Maddy Bowen (Connelly) who is writing a piece on the political instability and unlimited suffering that innocent Africans endure as a result of the blood diamonds. After running into a spot of trouble Danny promises Maddy an incredible scoop in return for her help, implicating his paymasters at Van der Caart (a barely-concealed De Beers)
The would-never-be-connected-in-any-other-circumstance trio, Danny, Solomon and Maddy, begin to work together, each with a personal goal in mind. White man Danny will use his power to help Solomon find his wife (Benu Mabhena) and son, who unfortunately has been brainwashed by the RUF into a pre-teen killing machine. Black man Solomon will use his knowledge to lead Danny to the diamond, and journalist Maddy will get the scoop of the century that will win her a Pulitzer and hopefully get her the worldwide exposure that every reporter dreams of.
The movie�s conclusion is semi-predictable but the twists and turns it takes to get there are great fun.
One of my favorite things about the movie is that Danny and Maddy�s characters clearly have romantic chemistry. However, it�s barely touched upon and the movie keeps its focus on the Solomon's mission to save his family, and Danny's desire to find the one big diamond that will get him out of Africa for good. No dreamy riding off into the sunsets here. Despite the brutal, raw nature of this movie, I look forward to adding it to my DVD collection once it�s released. It�ll really sit and make you think. |
