A Hollywood version of a world story

Rating: 6/10 (10 February 2008)

I get a great deal of satisfaction from watching Oscar tabbed films. Why? Because like most people, I love dissecting which are deserving and which are not. Everything about Blood Diamond screams it deserves, yet these cries are hollow. Because Blood Diamond echoes 'Hollywood'.
Blood Diamond features an Oscar 'worthy' cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, and Jennifer Connelly. They play Oscar worthy characters with accents, faulty personalities, and sad stories. It is directed by an Oscar worthy Director in Edward Zwick(Glory, The Last Samurai). It has an Oscar worthy story that taps into the human condition. It has an Oscar worthy release date(can anyone say Christmas holidays...). It has an Oscar worthy conclusion. Are we noticing a theme here?
The sad truth is that a truly meaningful story that needed to be told was done to manipulate. The plight of 3rd World countries tugs at any persons heart strings. We all want to say we're doing our part to help those in need. Blood Diamond is made to reaffirm this. Then why is Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role when a real South African actor is not? Three words: Hollywood Star System. Why is their a romance in the middle of a larger conflict a la Titanic. Three more words: People like it.
I wanted to say I liked it. Trust me, I did. But what message does this movie send by having an ending that concludes everything? The problems of that region are not solved. The reading at the end is a cop-out for a film that didn't want people to stop and say, "Wait, what happens now?" Because in all truth, there were little gold statues and green dollar bills floating in producers heads...
So for all these reasons I give Blood Diamond a 6/10.