"Blood Diamond" (2006) - Movie Review

“Blood Diamond” directed by Edward Zwick gives a movie with full of substance and absolute entertainment from start till end. The movie focuses on the issue of the diamond forming the crux of all the calamities and the blood on people’s hands all over the world. The movie has been nominated in various categories for the 2006 Academy Awards, which mainly includes Leanardo DiCaprio in Best Actor in a Leading Role and Djimon Honsou in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Solomon Vandy (Djimon Honsou), a fisherman is been captured by the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) and separated from his family. The head of the RUF makes Solomon work in the mines when he discovers a sufficiently worthy stone. He hides in a place he alone knows before he gets arrested. In the meanwhile, Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) gets arrested for smuggling diamonds from Sierra Leone to Liberia. In jail, he gets to know about the diamond Solomon found out and thereby makes the plan of making up for the diamonds lost during his arrest. He puts on a term with Solomon of finding his family while he in return gives the diamond. The journey for the two starts with the desperate and conscience oriented Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), the journalist who assists Danny and Solomon in order get the story of Blood Diamonds.

The movie goes a long way above the plot out line. It discusses a nation lost in its own men. A continent deserted and looted for its sole purpose of wealth. It shows a country destroyed and crumbling in its own hands with the assistance of the outside wealthy worlds. The film gives out most of the reasons for each and every person in the screen. Danny struggling within him on the reasons he built upon to survive for his own and the distinction of exploitation and exposing the truth, by Maddy Bowen with herself are laid out properly. Solomon fighting finger to the bones to get his family at any cost is wonderfully presented.

Leonardo DiCaprio deserves his nomination for a performance so close but so far from the Billy Costigan of “The Departed”. He is more than convincing and real as the “soldier of fortune”. Working his way through the most violent and tense situation as Danny is very clever and entertaining. The supporting role as Solomon by Djimon Honsou shoulders the emotional context of the movie. Bringing out the anger in a father and the love and understanding as needed are delicately handled by Djimon. Jennifer Connelly as the journalist Maddy Bowen, who is ready to get into the most ferocious and landmine ambience for getting the truth is brilliant as well.

“Hotel Rwanda” was so touching and showed the horrible situation of the continent in a very shivering way. “Blood Diamond” does that with the naked truth of diamonds covered with Blood. It shows the land burying itself by all violence among them. When Solomon expresses his emotions on this issue to Danny, the movie summates its agenda. One cannot avoid getting goose pumps when Danny decides to do the right thing even though it is totally expected. The director all along the way gives away the hint that Danny is a product of his environment. It just took time to get the right people to bring the rightness in him. Justification for his actions is embedded within those action pieces in the movie.

Promoting a movie as an action flick and providing the harsh truth behind the merely non-living materialistic stone proves the success factor for “Blood Diamond”. A terrific entertainer and must watch for all genre movie goers.