SNMR 3.7: "Blood Diamond"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "Blood Diamond" (2006, R, 143 minutes) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Sheen, Arnold Vosloo. The film was directed by Edward Zwick.

This is one of those films that came out last year that I wanted to see in the movie theater but never got around to it, slacker that I am. So I'm watching it for the very first time tonight. Let's hope I'm not disappointed.

From the DVD's dust case:

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 in 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.

From Muze, Inc:

Set in Sierra Leone, Blood Diamond explores the role of diamond trading in the African civil war of the late 1990s. Narrowly escaping death when his village is invaded by R.U.F. militia, farmer Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) is enslaved at a diamond mine and has his family taken from him. When he discovers an unusually large stone he buries it, knowing it may be his only tool for retrieving his family. While Vandy is imprisoned, white African diamond smuggler Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) overhears an angry R.U.F. leader shouting at the farmer about the missing diamond, and he gets Vandy out of jail, then bribes him with the promise that he will help find Vandy’s family in return for half the diamond’s worth. Bonded by a common goal, the two men clash over drastically different values, but manage to stick together in pursuit of the prize. Also playing a part is fearless American journalist Maddie Bowen (Jennifer Connolly), whose flirtations with Archer and obsession with the truth land her in the middle of the bloody action. As the three embark on a dangerous journey filled with close calls, unlikely bonds form that threaten to change Archer’s unfeeling ways. Meanwhile, a plotline following Vandy’s beloved son shows us the horror being done to and by child soldiers at the hands of the so-called freedom-fighting rebel forces. Addressing his serious subject with passion and skill, director Edward Zwick (The Last Samurai) delivers impressive action sequences that feel horrifically real without seeming excessive. While some critics have taken stabs at the film for its Hollywood elements, no one can argue against Blood Diamond's noble intentions or its stellar performances. To most viewers, the film is likely to provide a disturbing and educational look at a world many know little about.

I certainly wasn't disappointed. I thought this was an excellent film overall, though it did drag in places and thus was a little to long for my liking. I think the story could have been successfully told in two hours or slightly under without losing any of the dramatic effect. The starring cast does quite well. I was impressed with Leonardo DiCaprio's performance, though annoyed in the way that his charachter dies near the end of the film. Can anyone say tourniquet? Djimon Hounsou was excellent, and Jennifer Connelly has come a long way since her "Labyrinth" role of 21 years ago, which is the only other film of hers that I think I've seen. Overall, the script is good. There is plenty of blood and violence, which helps make the child-soldier story line much more realistic. I'll give this film four out of five stars.