Brutal... both in violence and honesty.

Rating: 8/10 (10 April 2007)

'Blood Diamond' is another typical example of a class of Hollywood movies that makes you sick but you cannot leave the theatre until they end. The film gruesomely portrays the social aspects of civil war in so-called third-world countries... child soldiers, slavery, prostitution, political corruption at their best. The opportunistic standpoint of the Western developed nations in such matters is also delicately pointed out. And all these are brilliantly done with the help of three totally different characters: a poor fisherman in Sierra Leone who accidentally finds a large diamond in the conflict mines, a tough "white trash" smuggler of conflict diamonds and a no-nonsense American journalist whose primary goal is to sell a good story.
The film is extremely well-acted. Leonardo DiCaprio again effectively sheds off his boyish charm in this tough criminal role of smuggler Archer and his Academy Award nomination is hundred percent justified. Jennifer Connelly did not receive the best dialogues, I must say, but she does a pretty believable job in this rather tomboyish role. But it's Djimon Hounsou who steals the show with his extremely passionate portrayal of the fisherman Solomon Vandy. Solomon is a rather complex character and it's wonderful to watch Hounsou's take on him, especially at that scene when he finally bursts out in the end when violence was constantly imposed upon him. May he receive more complex roles in future projects.
The screenplay, though wonderful to express the true situation of African civil war, appears exaggerated at times (e.g. the child soldier points his AK47 to Archer in the car and shouts "Who is this motherf---er?"). Some dialogues appear a tad too dramatic. The story suddenly seemed to rush right after the diamond was found in the end. Edward Zwick is an excellent director and we all love his works but here he fails to develop a new style of storytelling. All the scenes of violence and torture are just usually graphic and without any originality.
Still, this is one of the best films to come out in 2006... because somehow it's very honest. It doesn't exaggerate any of the characters. It does not take a stand to glorify one particular nation. 'Blood Diamond' must be an eye-opener to many filmmakers who often shout out morals in their films.