Overly Preachy & Clichéd

Rating: 5/10 (25 April 2007)

I was enjoying this very much when Jennifer Connelly entered the story and it began to go downhill after that, big-time. Hey, I always found her pretty fascinating and easy on the eyes, but she seems to play annoying, bitchy characters that I can't stand.
Connelly's role isn't as obnoxious and unlikeable as she was her role in "House Of Sand And Fog," but she's still moody, preachy, profane, sarcastic and too full of herself as she plays a journalist in the mode of some woman who thinks she's some great crusader. According to her, no one in the United States should ever buy a diamond ring for the fiancée/wife because they are akin to murderers if they do. This point is hammered several times and (1) is ludicrous; (2) unrealistic; (3) condescending to any audience of any intelligence.
That's the trouble with the picture, as a whole: too preachy.
We don't need points hammered home the way they are here, thinking us - the audience - is that stupid to get the messages the first or second time. The main characters are all movie cliché types - the greedy smuggler, Watergate-type journalist, brave African warrior, rich and uncaring white men running the operations, etc etc.
In addition, Leonardo DiCaprio's accent is just not believable, perhaps because is something we aren't used to hearing from him. It may not be his fault, because he's a good actor, but it didn't click. The accent didn't sound right, and it became distracting. Conelley, as mentioned, is just super annoying, only there for her looks. Dimon Hounsou as "Soloman Vandy" overacted. Raising one's voice here and there and screaming doesn't make one a good actor.
The cinematography was wonderful. This is nice-looking film which includes spectacular African scenery. It was, by far, the best thing about the movie.