Perfectly pitched, well executed action adventure flick with a point

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2008)

I wasn't overly enthused at the prospect of seeing this film upon it's release in late 2006, mostly owing to the fact that the previous two Edward Zwick films I saw (Glory, The Last Samurai) were rubbish; but to my greatest surprise, Blood Diamond is an excellent film. The film is about 'conflict diamonds' and the effects they have on the African countries that produce them. This provides the backbone of the film, but there is much more to it than that as aside from the main theme; the film is also an action thriller, a character study and a very entertaining adventure film. The plot focuses on Solomon Vandy; a man whose village is attacked by rebels and his son taken. He is forced to work in the diamond mines. One day, while mining diamonds, he comes across a huge and priceless pink diamond, and promptly hides it. After finding himself in jail, a conversation between him and the slave master is overheard by Danny Archer; a Zimbabwean diamond smuggler who convinces Solomon to take him to where the diamond is hidden...
This film is bolstered by two excellent central performances courtesy of Djimon Hounsou and Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio was seen earlier in 2006 in Scorsese's excellent 'The Departed', and here the great actor is just as good, in spite of the silly African accent. Djimon Hounsou is the real standout, however, as the unfortunate African man who finds the diamond; the French-African actor fits into his role excellently and constantly convinces that he is the character he is portraying. The two men are joined by Jennifer Connelly who impresses also with her limited screen time. The film takes place in war-torn Africa and Edward Zwick manages to get across the danger of the continent really well, and many of the locations are beautiful to look at. I have to say that the 'conflict diamond' theme of the movie doesn't really concern me much; but the reason this film works has nothing to do with what it's about but rather the way it works. Zwick has really succeeded here in making a film with a point that has enough about it to entertain audience members who don't really care. There's a constant stream of action and the characters are fleshed out enough to ensure that we care about them. The film lasts for over two hours but it really flies by. It boils down to a satisfying conclusion and this undeniably one of the best films of 2006.