Sloppy production of important subjects.

Rating: 6/10 (13 March 2007)

You can't really say that the producers of this film are as much heroes as the film's characters. Leonardo DiCaprio is doing one of his best roles, and is great as the diamond-hungry smuggler from Rhodesia. Djimon Hounsou is equally marvelous as the family father who just happened to find the largest diamond in the world.
The story revolves around conflict diamonds, large business conspiracies and child soldiers. Most of it is created from true stories. But some stuff that are extremely important to lift forward (like that the price of diamonds are kept up by a cartel) are just mentioned quickly.
Likewise, the ending is soft and tacky. Don't be fooled to think that this is an African movie depicting Africa, Sierra Leone or any other African country or place, in its right way. This is purely Hollywood speaking, and it has nothing to do with anything but selling a product to a domestic audience.
This comes evidently clear when you hear the hip-hop for the first time. Why is it that all films with black actors HAS to have hip-hop music - just because there are black people in the film? If Hollywood wanted to stay free from racial slurs, then they should try to re-think their productions a bit more. BLOOD DIAMOND have many of these almost racist characterizations, and that doesn't give these tough and important subjects justice.
But even though the producers are cowards, and the PR-people stupid fat white men, the rest of the film is quite nicely done. It could have been more violent though, since watching a war movie without blood feels like watching a TV-film from the 1960:s.
The movie itself has a very nice script, the locations are great and the actors are mostly very good. The director tries hard, and gives us as much as he's allowed to show. The producers, though, should probably try to produce children movies in the future and stay clear of hard subjects. Some people just doesn't have the guts for the real thing.