A bloody movie; but with a beauty

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2007)

Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a South African mercenary whose big dream is to find a hidden diamond which, he believes, can transform his chaotic life. Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) was originally a fisherman and father of a friendly family, until a troupe of armed soldiers took him away by force to work in diamond fields. The organization uses methods which to us are unimaginable; if your hands happen to appear weak, soldiers will cut them off. If your hands are strong, they'll let you work in the fields. Solomon was lucky enough to be employed, but only to become a slave. The diamonds, meanwhile, are purchased by seemingly unknowing customers in another part of the world. Meanwhile, Solomon's son, maybe eleven years of age, is kidnapped and made into a soldier. Archer is put in jail for a while due to smuggling, where he eventually discovers that Solomon, by then also jailed, has found the valuable diamond which Archer so much wishes to possess, and buried it down somewhere in the fields. Archer insists that he'll do whatever possible to help Solomon to find his family, providing Solomon locates and gives him the diamond in return.
Meanwhile, as audiences, we are led to ask ourselves the old but never irrelevant question, who decides what is valuable, in one context or another? DiCaprio's character certainly seems to never give up the hope of finding the aforementioned diamond. He risks the lives of others as well as his own, children and adults alike. He is definitely persuaded by a very materialistic, even egotistical understanding of value. Yet there are flashes of empathy to be found within him, and as the tale goes on, one almost expects him to abandon the pursuit of the diamond and instead devote his thoughts to others; which does not quite happen, but completely uncaring he is not. DeCaprio does a fine job conveying his rather unpredictable nature. However, the somewhat lesser-known Djimon Hounsou truly steals the show overall, to me; as Solomon, his performance is so powerful at times that instances of somewhat stiff dialogue do not matter much.
BLOOD DIAMOND includes many painful scenes; child soldiers being brainwashed and very much blood, but besides being an incredibly tragic movie, it also possesses a definite layer of beauty within. The cinematography is outstanding at times, providing many beautiful landscapes. There are things in the film which may appear cliché at times, but I defy anyone not to cry a bit during the more powerful moments.