Blood Diamond shines

Rating: 10/10 (9 December 2006)

Director/Producer Edward Zwick's ("Last Samurai," "Courage Under Fire," "Glory") "Blood Diamond" couldn't have been made without Djimon Hounsou ("Amistad," "Gladiator") who hails from the Dark Continent that has been plagued by ravaging disease, famine and civil war for decades. Set in Sierra Leone, fisherman Solomon Vandy (Hounsou) hooks up with the main protagonist of the story, mercenary Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio, in an Oscar worthy performance, complete with South African dialect on the money) while in prison. Seems Vandy has unearthed a rare pink diamond in the rough during his forced labor work after local insurgents separate him from his family, now on the run. He buries the gem, worth enough to change all their lives, in a conflict diamond field. Archer wants a cut, but he and Vandy clash on values; Vandy just wants to locate his family. To that end, Archer employs the help of newfound friend, an American journalist, Maddy Bowen (Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly, "A Beautiful Mind"), who accompanies the unlikely duo in their quest for the life-altering bling. Along the way, Bowen realizes her crisis-driven career as a conflict story reporter for a value- based magazine lines up with Archer's angst having been brought up in dangerous territories like the ones she reports on. Hounsou's performance is so powerful and believable that he becomes part of the war torn yet breathtaking landscape as he races to find his estranged family. The movie soars as the characters' plight coaxes viewers to find out more about how approximately 15 percent of the world's consumer diamonds exported to places like the United States and United Kingdom are delivered with blood in their carats. And that blood is often spilled by child soldiers.
Writer's note: I actually know Djimon Hounsou from a cultural exchange program his brother participated in when Hounsou was working on his first film, "Stargate." I placed his kid brother with Greg McGillivray of Imax films. As a freelance reporter, I hope to interview Djimon for a story I'm working on. This review is posted to my Web site and may be included in part or whole in a subsequent story.