Performances give "Diamond" its luster

Rating: 8/10 (30 December 2006)

The name Edward Zwick makes me a little uneasy. This is the director who brought us the Harlequin-ready "Legends of the Fall" and the overwrought "The Last Samurai". He also gave us the outstanding "Glory" and the intriguing "Courage Under Fire". His films are rarely subtle and often leave you feeling browbeaten in their attempts to move you.
But his film "Blood Diamond" works. Why? First, Djimon Hounsou gives a raw and mesmerizing performance as Solmoan Vandy, a fisherman swept up in the civil war and violent diamond trade of Siera Leone in 1990. The opening moments of the film are startlingly similar to those of "Apocalypto" as Solomon tries to rescue his family from a rapacious crew invading his small village. Solomon eventually finds himself on a mission to recover his family after they are separated in the escape. This mission brings him into contact crafty diamond smuggler Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) who learns that Solomon knows the location to a large pink diamond that will make its owner a very rich man.
The two form an uneasy alliance and enlist the help of danger-seeking and principled reporter Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) who is trying to write a damning expose of the African diamond trade. As the film progresses, we see the violent destruction wrought by roving militias, largely made up of children and teenagers, at the service of vicious mercenaries who provide diamonds to legitimate, established diamond wholesalers. The full extent of the destruction wrought by the scheme is horrifying, particularly in the toll it takes on the country's young men. This is a message movie, but it is not polarizing. This isn't a left or right-leaning film, rather it is one that asks us to consider the consequences of our purchases.
DiCaprio continues to mature as an actor and lends the standard role--mercenary who is forced to grapple with his conscience--vitality. He adds to the richness of this film that will surely move even the most jaded of moviegoers.