A Perfect Movie

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2009)

"Blood Diamond" works in the two most lucrative ways: both as a powerful film that the Oscars love, and a summer action/adventure film. It is both of these at the same time for its nearly two-and-a-half hour running length. Despite its length, it is always fully engaging and NEVER boring.
The best way to classify this movie is as an epic, though not in the same sense as say, "Braveheart" or "Lawrence of Arabia." It has wide epic scale, fully realized characters, a thoroughly compelling plot and thrilling action. I don't think there is a person alive who wouldn't find something to appreciate in "Blood Diamond."
1999. Sierra Leone is in the midst of a brutal civil war. Both the government and the rebel RUF are battling for the control of the diamond trade. Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) has found a giant, priceless diamond, and just before he is captured, he hides it. A smuggler named Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) finds out about it, and promises to help him find his son if Vandy shows him where he hid it. Along for the ride is journalist Maddie Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), who also wants to write the story of how one company makes money off the war.
The film features two brilliant performances. Leonardo DiCaprio has long since left his "Titanic"-era heartthrob days behind him, and continues to impress as a serious thespian. This is his best performance yet. Danny Archer is a familiar character, but DiCaprio does enough with him to make him unique. He doesn't like having to help Solomon, but he knows he doesn't have much choice. The same goes for Maddie Bowen, as he is reluctant to give her information, but he has to in order to use the resources that she has. Matching him is Djimon Hounsou, who continues to astound with his mostly unrecognized acting abilities. Solomon Vandy is a desperate man, but he will not let someone push him around, even if they are pointing a gun in his face. To him, the diamond is nothing. All that matters is getting his family back. Hounsou uses his capacity for power and strength to portray a man who is so desperate that he becomes fearless. Jennifer Connelly may have a less showy role, but she does enough with it that it avoids becoming a cliché.
This is clearly a movie for Edward Zwick. He's no stranger to this kind of film, and he knows exactly what to do with it. He treats the material with respect, and gets his point across, but he knows that people go to the movies to be entertained, and he balances that perfectly. "Blood Diamond" has a lot to say, but Zwick keeps things movie at a brisk pace. This is his best film yet, and I am eager to see what the future has in store for him.
Typically, musical scores are a small part of a film, but nevertheless a film wouldn't be the same without them (or in some cases, with them). Here, the score plays a big part in the film's success. It's not that its noticeable, or anything special (you're not likely to come out humming its main theme, if it even has one). But it perfectly sets to tone. Without the viewer really noticing it, the music changes the film's tone from something serious and hard-hitting to something more alive and adventurous. James Newton Howard's score is brilliant in how it accomplishes this, because if the film had a different score, it would feel a lot different.
"Blood Diamond" is the perfect movie. Sure, a lot of the stuff is familiar, but there's a lot of new stuff as well, and the filmmakers and actors do enough to make it all seem fresh. This is one of the best films of 2006, and one of my all-time favorites.