The noisiest lecture I've ever seen but brilliant nonetheless - 90%

Rating: 9/10 (15 March 2011)

Despite having been in my film collection for a long time, I can't really explain why I haven't watched this before now. The only other movie to suffer a similar limbo-like existence is "Jackie Brown" which I left for so long that I traded it instead of watching it. Still, better late than never and with a film as great as this, I'm glad that I gave it a chance. Remembered mainly for Leonardo DiCaprio's performance, this is an extremely rare action in that it manages to both entertain and educate at exactly the same time. And yet somehow, it has maintained a quiet, under-the-radar aura that belies its quality.
Welcome to Sierra Leone in 1999, where the rebel forces of the RUF - funded by the illegal trade in conflict diamonds - engage in a bloody civil war against the government. Amid the chaos, fisherman Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) is separated from his wife and family and ordered to mine for diamonds by RUF commander Captain Poison (David Harewood). After uncovering a huge pink stone and burying it, Solomon is arrested and finds himself working alongside mercenary-with-a-past Daniel Archer (DiCaprio) and American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) in order to recover both the stone and his son, captured by Poison and brainwashed into becoming yet another child soldier.
As I said, "Blood Diamond" is an action film that works on many levels. Not only is it an explosive action film with war scenes reminiscent of stuff like "Black Hawk Down" but it also acts as a strong message about the hidden costs of conflict diamonds and the ugly greed that captivates so many. Not only this but the acting in this movie is almost in a different league to other films in this genre - DiCaprio is simply brilliant (take it from someone who works with a lot of people from that part of the world - his accent is faultless) but he is matched every inch by Hounsou as the tortured everyman caught up in a seemingly endless nightmare. The storyline between Archer and Bowen was a tad predictable but other than that, this was an old-fashioned adventure movie with fantastic action sequences and lit up with quality in the casting.
It might not be the easiest film to watch - the scenes of carnage brought by the RUF, especially, are savage and brutal - but like "Black Hawk Down", this is a simply unmissable movie for any action fan. But by also highlighting the numerous problems with conflict diamonds and the terror they are responsible for, "Blood Diamond" is a lot more effective at bringing the issue to your attention than any song by Kanye West. And also like "Black Hawk Down", this movie seems to be rather under-rated and forgotten about for reasons I can only speculate on. This was nominated for five Oscars not that long ago and yet, I can't remember hearing anyone tell me how good this was. Maybe it's sitting in everyone else's film collection and they haven't got round to watching it yet. If so, take it from me - this is a magnificent film and one that you'll kick yourself for missing.