I should note that I'm not much of a Leo Dicaprio fan, but I can admit he was quite good in this film. All of the acting was above average for an action movie, in fact. Jennifer Connelly was as good as ever, though her character didn't have the same depth as in roles she's previously played (Requiem for a Dream, Waking the Dead, etc.). The action starts early, and there are only a few lulls in the middle. The story is interesting (see link above), even though it has a big political message. Luckily the politics are not as intrusive as they could have been - this movie weaves them in much like Lord of War did. The cinematography is great, really demonstrating how some parts of Africa are absolutely beautiful. I highly suggest seeing this film.
This is a compelling story with great casting of the major characters. Leonardo Di Caprio is outstanding as a soldier of fortune / smuggler of diamonds in Africa. Jennifer Connelly, who I have enjoyed watching since 'The Rocketeer', is more than just eye candy in this movie. She is caught up into the story and is vital to the plot line. Djimon Hounsou is very good in his role, and makes the plot line believable. The killings, the mutilations, and the senseless violence is a vital part of this movie to show the viewer the futility of what was going on in 1999 Sierra Leone. A Good Movie, but not for a date night. A serious and thought provoking movie. The ending is powerful.....
"Hotel Rwanda" features similar events, but told through the eyes of a black African. Somehow that viewpoint made the movie more personal, more powerful, and ultimately more rewarding to watch. I don't know why the main character's skin color is so important in a movie like this - but I think it's because it allows us to tie into the experience further. A white person in the world depicted here can still be shot and killed, but a black person would be TARGETED and then killed. Had they cast a black man in the Leonardo DiCaprio role, I think there would have been a more terrifying, harrowing experience - for both the main character and the audience. This movie (like the Last Samurai, also made by Edward Zwick) instead tells the story through the eyes of a white man - an outsider in this terrible place. That perspective allows us to be more detached from the events. We're following an outsider who is looking in. Therefore, we are also outsiders looking in. Because of that, I never felt connected to this movie. I enjoyed it - the same way I enjoy movies like Die Hard. But I didn't feel frightened or emotionally attached by what the characters were going through. I was enjoying the pretty scenery and marveling at the technics. I wasn't worried about Leonardo's safety at any point, like I was with Don Cheadle in "Hotel Rwanda." I felt for Hounsou's character, but I thought the director underused him. This movie has an important message, but I wish Hollywood would relay the message from the perspective of people more directly affected by the situation - rather than by outsiders looking in. I don't say this from a moral standpoint, like "Oh this is immoral." I just think it would be more powerful and more convincing if told by someone who is actually FROM that environment. -DanRead full review
This movie is what it is...A movie about blood diamonds. It tells a story of the people of Africa, literally, going to WAR over diamonds. They were killing each other just for a small rock!! It was disgusting. They were recruiting little kids, after taking them from their families, as army war soldiers. They put guns in the hands of children who barely could read. I loved the concept of the movie but I did not give it an excellent rating because the concept of blood diamonds took another turn. The movie changed into a man trying to recover his son, who had be kidnapped and recruited into one of these war camps that I mentioned earlier. This twist, slowed the theme down a taste and made me lose a little interest. I was still a good movie though..
Set in war-torn Sierra Leone, during their most recent Civil War, the movie follows diamond smuggling as that deals in conflict diamonds and toils with human morality. It also show's the tragedy of WAR and its testament to how "BLOOD DIAMOND" are used in the Corporate World today. It is very sad to see how a country uses it children and destroys families for the lust of money. Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou offer amazing performances and Leonardo offers one of his best acting roles to date. The cinematography of this film show off some of the most beautiful scenes of Africa. The film is very graphic and bloody, I wouldn't recommend it to the timid or children, but I believe that everyone should eventually see this movie. The story it tells is needed to be seen but all, and we don't need to purchase any DIAMONDS today, since we really don't know were they really came from. A must see and own movie, don't pass it up. If you found this to be helpful please vote !!!!Read full review
Just when you think you've seen it all from director Ed Zwick, he amazes you again. First on TV with thirtysomething (which has yet to debut on DVD), then with magnificent features such as GLORY, LEGENDS OF THE FALL and THE LAST SAMURAI, he proves his storytelling ability isn't just about making nice pictures and telling stories - he pours his heart into his productions and that's a tangible thing when viewing his movies, even on DVD. Like his other movies, the big screen is the first, best option for seeing them, but even on DVD, he gets the emotion across and the results speak for themselves. Oh, sure, he knows how to cast top names like Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio, but he gets them because they know the quality of movie making that's involved. BLOOD DIAMOND is no exception. The story is contemporary, yet full of classic values and morality issues that transcend location, period and politics. The sobering look at the world of conflict diamonds is great drama and yet gritty and realistic at the same time. Djimon Hounsou is once again outstanding, as are DiCaprio and Jennifer Connolly, who never looked better or gave a better performance. Get this and other Zwick titles and celebrate with each film one of the great directors of our time, or any other.Read full review
If you have not viewed this movie, please do---but not for children of any age. We had to watch this for a college class and write a three page review of it from an emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual outlook. Three pages was very difficult to stay to when there was so much to write. This is a very violent and graphic depiction of life in Sierra Leone and the horror it can entail. The storyline followed a rebel get rich American and the twists, turns, and amazing people he met on his way out of Africa and the truly twisted way everyone's life intertwined in the diamond industry. The message the movie got across will impact a person's life forever and the images seen in the movie will be hard pressed to leave your mind. You will want to go out and save every little child in harms' way in this world while viewing this movie. This movie should have won every award out there and why it didn't is beyond me. I do not understand what the critics and the judges are looking at or are expected to grade upon when they vote for movies, but a lot of someones missed the boat on this one. Blood Diamond should have everyone from writers, makeup artists, costume persons, technical advisors, and actors alike on stage receiving award after award. Truly an amazing film that needs to be seen by all adults and high school seniors around the world. If they can show Shindlers List in high school, Blood Diamond should also be on the list of must see movies for high school students.Read full review
This is a story of the corruption behind the diamond trade and the human tragedy involved in this corruption. Jennifer Connelly does an outstanding job as a journalist trying to dig deep into the blood diamond trade of the late 1990's. During her investigative reporting she stumbles on Leonardo Dicaprio who has deep ties into this dangerous world of diamond trade. Along with the search for the diamond of extreme value Leonardo and Jennifer fall in love. This movie contains very strong violence and strong language and is not advised for children. I would highly recommend viewing this movie for anyone who is able to handle the strong violence in order to have a better view of reality as to what so many parts of the world have had to live with and continue to live with. We do so much to block out the truely harsh realities of the world and this movie is an eye opener. An ex-mercenary turned smuggler (Leonardo DiCaprio). A mende fisherman (Djimon Hounsou). Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman's son, conscripted as a child soldier into the brutal rebel forces ripping a swath of torture and bloodshed across the alternately beautiful and ravaged countryside. Directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, The Last Samurai), this urgent, intensely moving adventure shapes gripping human stories and heart-pounding action into a modern epic of profound impact. If you find this review helpful in any way, please click the ' YES ' button below and take some time to check out my other reviews and guides. Thank you.Read full review
Recently revisited this, and this is solid acting by Dicaprio, Hounsou and supporting cast. Dicaprio plays the "anti-hero" and is involved in the exploitative diamond industry in Africa. While some of the story line is a little far fetched, it's mostly plausible, and serves to create a dialog in one's mind about how this industry operates. Overall, a good show. A little on the violent side, and some excellent cinematography. Overall very good.
Disturbing and shocking...though not overboard and not gratuitous, this excellent film highlights the awful traffic in human blood and dignity that is the business of diamonds in west Africa... As a fictitious mega-diamond consortium denies its involvement of so-called "conflict diamonds", the story demonstrates the careful dance done to secretly cash-in upon diamonds obtained through such human horror. The real name and national origin of the fictitious diamond consortium is obvious to anyone and clearly the film brings to all the terrible horrors that have been, and continue to be, rained upon Africans in the pursuit of diamonds world-wide. The film aptly recommends that brides and grooms demand "conflict-free" diamonds when purchasing, to help lessen the human toll wrought by this dirty business. The acting is excellent. The action is great. The cinematography is gorgeous. The message is compelling. This film is important. See it.Read full review
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