Movie lost focus - Romance and an unendurable death scene

Rating: 2/10 (24 December 2006)

Sometimes good intentions aren't enough to make for a good movie. It takes good writing, acting and directing as well. "Blood Diamond", with the exception of the acting skills of Djimon Hounsou, was a rare confluence where bad writing, directing and acting produced a foofer.
An unnecessary love relationship between Leonardo DiCaprio, a seasoned diamond smuggler/soldier of fortune and Maddy Bowen, a freelance journalist, does nothing but distract from what might otherwise have been a good story. DiCaprio's never-ending death scene seals the deal. The audience is left wondering why at least 1 hour of the movie didn't end up on the cutting room floor.
The exception is the fine acting of Djimon Hounsou who plays Solomon Vandy, a father whose family has been torn apart by a civil war fueled by an illegal diamond trade. The one bright spot in an otherwise mediocre movie.