DiCaprio was excellent and character was interesting

Rating: 9/10 (4 January 2007)

After reading a lot of reviews here I see people comparing this movie to Hotel Rawanda and commenting on how it sheds light on conflict diamonds and the state of Africa, that's all great, but it's not what makes this movie enjoyable.
Danny Archer (DiCaprio) is a complicated character. He's definitely no moral crusader, but he's not a bad man either. That's what makes Blood Diamond a good movie, seeing how far he would go to improve his situation and how emotions affect realpolitik. The fact is, at the end of the movie you don't know what to think of Archer.
DiCaprio's acting was spot on. Hounsou's effort stood out as well. On the other hand, Connelly was a fraud. Where DiCaprio and Hounsou were believable Africans, Connelly was definitely acting. OK, so you say Connelly was supposed to be an American? I don't buy it, if you act like she did in that part of Africa you would get abducted and raped.