Blood Diamond
Director: Edward Zwick
Rated: MA
Now screening


African fisherman Solomon (Djimon Hounsou) becomes embroiled in a conflict between opposing forces after diamonds. After his son is snatched, Solomon is mistakenly thrown in jail for his role in the chaos. There he meets Danny (Leonardo DiCaprio), a diamond smuggler working with anti-government forces. When he overhears Solomon talking about a large diamond he has hidden, Danny seizes the opportunity to escape from his vicious world. Whilst searching for the diamond and Solomon's son, the men attempt to avoid the political storm that threatens to wash over them.

After the apartheid era, the development of some African nations was hindered by the alleged valuable bounty supposedly buried beneath the sunburnt soil. Militant armies attempt to capture the prize using children as instruments of terror against their own people. The 'good guys' equally have their own brand of ruthlessness, making sure that greed and profits wins out over the welfare of Sierra Leone and its inhabitants. Set at the end of the 1990s, the decade that began with the end of apartheid, also ended with its own people fighting each other over small stones.

Against this backdrop, the cast develop their characters with a certain world weariness to what happens around them. Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent as Danny, a man tired of the cycle of violence he has known from a young age. DiCaprio increases the aura of unpredictability to his role, making sure the audience is unclear whether he finds the redemption he seeks. His interaction with journalist Maddy (Jennifer Connelly) also helps to give strength in his quest for enlightenment. Djimon Hounsou perfectly shows the rage of a man wanting his son returned and of witnessing the senseless carnage.

Edward Zwick's direction shows the explosiveness of the situation in minute detail, making the audience feel the pain of his protagonists. The haunting images of children stripped of their humanity are as shocking as the violence displayed. Whilst the script tends to meander at times, the central story is a fascinating one, offering several surprises. The excellent cinematography captures the grittiness of the land, and still shows the beauty of Africa even as people fight each other under its harsh sun.

'Blood Diamond' utilises its gripping story and great actors to good effect. Managing to educate as well as enthral, this is another of a recent bevy of films that informs the viewer of the product they buy and at what cost it took to be made. With billions of dollars at stake, the main players leave nothing to chance, which this film manages to convey in fine style.

Patrick Moore