Great Movie

Rating: 10/10 (7 February 2011)

sometimes you walk out of films and forget them easily, but films like Blood Diamond get your mind moving even after its over. first and foremost, this film sheds light on the murderous scandals in Africa which occur over diamonds. It keeps the viewers attention by providing outstanding realism through beautiful locations, mixed with great acting, and creative direction turning Blood Diamond into a must see. The film is one of my favorites and will truly resonate with people who have been to Africa.
Most films that try overly hard to preach a message end up getting bogged down with superficiality, but Blood Diamond keeps its strong message while remaining a highly entertaining flick. I enjoy getting lost in the story or feeling like I'm in one of the scenes which this film accomplishes. The RUF troops ravage the local villages and mercilessly kill hundreds of innocent people. This rebel army brainwashes the male children and turns them into cold blooded killers and reward them with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes afterwords. The film makes the viewer see how lucky they are to not be involved in such civil uncertainty. It also shows people that the country needs help and can't fix these problems alone. The issues certainly set the stage for a dramatic film, but without performances and direction it may have fallen short.
The stars of the film were Leonardo Dicaprio, Djimon Hounsou, and Jennifer Connelly who all deliver outstanding performances. Leonardo Dicaprio looked like a real war veteran with everything from his gunman-ship to his South-African accent. Jennifer Connelly played the pretty American journalist who would do anything for a juicy story, but also showed a deep affection to the issues Africa was facing, her emotion felt very believable. The standout was Djimon Hounsou (Solomon), i mean wow! This guy should be getting more leads if this film was any indication of his body of work. His emotion, believability and commitment were fantastic. There were times his lines would give me shivers up my spine because it felt so real. You can tell the piece meant a lot to him and it shows in his performance. The scene where he strips naked and screams "WHERE IS THE DIAMOND, you have taken my family, my home, EVERYTHING", really helps the viewer connect with Solomon. The acting helps the audience really believe this film, and the direction puts everything in place to be a success.
Edward Zwick does a good job at mixing entertainment with an important political message which is no easy feat. Watching this movie as a 21 year old made a huge difference from when i was 16. I connected with the film a lot more and felt the gravity of everything. If you have only seen this film once when you were younger, or for some reason haven't, it is totally worth the 2 hours.