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Movie Review - Blood Diamond (2006)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Edward Zwick |
| Starring: |
Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, and Arnold Vosloo |
| Rated: |
R (for strong violence and language) |
| Length: |
138 minutes |
| Genre: |
Adventure/Drama/Thriller |
| Tagline: |
None. |
| Studio: |
Warner Brothers |
| Website: |
Blood Diamond |
| Release: |
December 8, 2006 |
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PLOT
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Sierra Leone, 1999. The Revolutionary United Front is in the business of raiding villages and kidnapping the
most able of the boys and men to slave away in the diamond fields. When Solomon Vandy (Hounsou) finds a rare
pink diamond, he quickly jumps in the business of burying it, hoping to come back for it later.
Through a series of events that would take way too much time and space to detail in this plot summary, Leonardo
DiCaprio (a South African smuggler) finds out about the diamond, Jennifer Connelly (an American reporter) finds
out about DiCaprio's smuggling, and our three main actors find their paths crossing. Finding the diamond
becomes a priority for many factions, but how many lives is it worth? Blood and diamonds ensue.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Blood diamond. That's what I call it. 'Cause diamonds for blood ain't no fair exchange. Sorry, a little
Jon Bon Jovi flashback there. "The Jove" as I like to call him. OK, I lied. I don't like to call him
that, nor will I start. But that has nothing to do with the movie, so quit distracting me.
What we've got here with Blood Diamond is an action movie with a message. An act-mess, if I may
coin the phrase.
"You may not."
Fine. Whatever. Where were we? Ah yes, a message-driven action movie. And that message? Diamonds that
come at the expense of forced slave labor aren't good. Pretty simple message, really. So why in the world
did it take over two hours to tell it? Don't get me wrong; the movie is an enjoyable ride, but much like
Rosie O'Donnell's back, it could have benefitted from a little trimming.
The acting is solid (particularly Hounsou), the action is relentless, and the perpetually pre-pubescent
DiCaprio's accent isn't as annoying as expected. What's worse is that ol' Di-Cap has now delivered two
solid performances in a row (see my review of The Departed for more
reluctant praise). I'm not ready to fully embrace his roundheadedness, but the guy's showing some
promise. My main complaint with the cast is that Connelly wasn't given more to work with. It's a
generic role, to be honest, and her talent isn't fully utilized.
Despite a little too much talking and a few too many instances of character stupidity, Blood
Diamond provides enough explosions and tension to keep your interest. However, you might want to
keep in mind that the action isn't always of the mindless, Vin Diesel variety. There's a lot of blood
and quite a few disturbing images. But what else can you expect when, in a display of brainwashing of the
most twisted sort, children are blindfolded and forced to gun down innocent civilians? The film will
leave you with a sick feeling, and you'll likely ask a question or two before purchasing another
diamond.
Now guys, I know what you're thinking - why not play it safe when it comes to future jewelry shopping
excursions? After all, who's ever heard of a "blood cubic zirconia," right? While this is cute to joke
about in theory, and I know it's absolutely hilarious and adorable when I mention it, but I assure you -
it's not quite so funny in practice.
Women are wise to our ways, and "Sorry, sweetie, but I don't want to risk buying a conflict diamond," is
not gonna cut it. If your gal wants diamond jewelry then you better start saving up or come up with a
more legitimate excuse than what you learned during a Leonardo DiCaprio movie.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- What are conflict diamonds? Director Zwick explains, "Conflict diamonds are stones that have been smuggled out
of countries at war. They then go to pay for more arms, increasing the death toll and furthering the destruction of
the region."
- Don't worry; conflict diamonds make up less than 1% of the diamonds in the U.S. market. It's up to the
consumer to insist a diamond is conflict-free.
- I dare you to try to think about this movie without singing along to Jon Bon Jovi's Blood Money (from
the Young Guns 2 soundtrack). Thanks to me, you won't be able to. Come on, let's all sing along!
Blood diamond, that's what I call it! 'Cause diamonds for blood ain't no fair exchange! You're welcome.
- Yes, I know you hate me right now, but rest easy - the song will leave your head in a day or two.
- Sierra Leone is now at peace, but there are still over 200,000 child soldiers.
- If you're wondering where you've seen Colonel Coetzee (Arnold Vosloo) before, he was High Priest Imhotep in The
Mummy movies. Remember? The guy you thought was Billy Zane? Yeah, you remember.
- Watch closely and you'll notice how Blood Diamond employs several tricks with camera angles. There are
some scenes where the 5'11" DiCaprio looks an inch or so taller than the 6'4" Hounsou. It's what I like to call
the "Cruise Camera Trick," named after the 4'11" Tom Cruise.
- Producer Gillian Gorfil insists the movie is not anti-diamond.
- Johnny insists this review is not anti-diamond, unless the diamond in question is Neil Diamond.
- Jennifer Connelly was in Dark Water with John C. Reilly who was in Nightwatch with Josh Brolin who
was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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To say Blood Diamond is a little rough around the edges is like saying Michael Moore has eaten a few
cheeseburgers too many. Profanity is strong (a few "f" bombs are present) but not non-stop. The violence and
blood, however, is fairly constant. Most disturbing is watching the child soldiers forced to kill people in
cold blood. This is not for tender eyes.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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The trailer gives you a good indication of what to expect. Ignore the "bling bang" comment; the movie redeems
itself from that slice of cheese.
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THE GIST
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Blood Diamond is a little disturbing to watch at times, but it delivers its message without too
much preaching. There is action and tension to spare if you can manage the 2+ hour runtime. Make it a
matinee or at least a rental.
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