Riveting History and Mesmerizing Film-making

Rating: 10/10 (20 January 2008)

Fascinating history does not always make exciting compelling film but in the case of "Blood Diamond" it does. This is good news in the sense that the movie delivers big time on all levels: fantastic action, intense emotional drama, and provocative political excitement. It is bad news in the sense that viewers can become so caught up in the sheer entertainment qualities of this amazing movie that we forget the brutal truth behind the story.
That the people of Sierra Leone throughout the 1990s were enslaved, raped, mutilated, and driven out of their homeland all for the sake of placing diamonds on the hands of the rich and to finance military chaos in one of the most naturally beautiful places in the world is something we should never forget. Having noted that particular point, it's impossible to deny that both Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou fully earned and deserved their respective Oscar nominations for "Blood Diamond." The overall script takes on a great deal of social and moral responsibility.
In addition to its exposure of the atrocities that have left Sierra Leone a permanently scarred country, "Blood Diamond" also illustrates just how deeply intertwined are the history and the future of Blacks and Whites on the continent of Africa. In a way, the same may be said of the history and future of the relationship between Africa and the world.
by Aberjhani, author of "Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History)