I ain't gonna wear diamonds ever again.

Rating: 8/10 (30 March 2008)

"In America it's BLING BLING, but in Africa, it's BLING BANG."
Blood Diamond is a must-watch, not just because Leonardo DiCaprio is incredibly hot in it, but also because it sends a very important message to its spectators. It tells us that behind the glamorous sparkles of a diamond lies a violent past. Millions of people in Africa are being slaughtered for just a small piece of the said crystal. How would you feel if three heads were chopped off for that small piece of diamond you're wearing right now? This movie explains it all. The best part is, it's not just for pure entertainment. It's a wake up call for all of us.
A village in Africa was just razed by rebels and the villagers hands were cut off. Fisherman Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), saves his arms from the axe and agrees to work for the rebels in searching for rare diamonds. He therefore finds a large piece in a pond, and hoping that it's high value can save his abducted family, Solomon keeps it for himself, buried it in a land hidden from the eyes of the rebels. Reinforcements arrived, and he was taken into a locality where he meets Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a smuggler of diamonds with an expertise in mercenary tactics. The fisherman then enters a bargain with the smuggler: Solomon's family in exchange for the pink, large diamond he discovered. Danny's side of the deal was fulfilled with the help of American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) and much to Solomon's dismay, his eldest son, Dia, was taken in by the rebels. Solomon and Danny then embarks on a journey on one of Africa's hilly regions in search for the missing kid and the much-wanted stone.
Djimon Hounsou is the cream of the crop, with Leonardo coming in second. The two makes a powerful pair, and even though it looks like a total cliché (millions of bullets are fired towards them, yet they still won't get hit), their exceptional acting skills covers up the flimsy action sequences. And by the way, this is the only film of DiCaprio's where I find him stupendously sexy (even though he's laden with scruffy facial hairs in his role as Danny Archer). I was disappointed with Jennifer Connelly's lackluster performance in this film, not to mention that I had always looked up at her after seeing her previous films like 'Requiem for a Dream' and 'A Beautiful Mind.'
The sounds carry the tension in this film. The script is a killer. And Edward Zwick did a great job with his camera after effectively capturing the natural beauty of the African region (with the help of the exceptional cinematography care of Eduardo Serra). The violent/gory content is insurmountable by any action film I've seen, vestiges of racism are unavoidable, and the audiences taste for diamonds can possibly be lessened after witnessing such tragic events.
BLOOD DIAMOND is an incontestable masterpiece. It's not just for the action, it doesn't just fill us with information, but it also makes us realize how wrong it is for us to patronize these rare crystals (pardon me for reiterating). Just see it for yourself, and you'll understand what I'm talking about.