Now Watching: Blood Diamond

Sierra Leone, Africa. 1999.

Solomon Vandy is a Mende fisherman with little education. Every day, he sends his oldest son, Dia, off to school and helps to nurture the boy’s desire to become a doctor. Although they are poor, he and his family are happy.

Danny Archer is a Rhodesian who has lived in Africa almost his entire life. He is a former soldier who has turned smuggler, and his entire life is spent smuggling diamonds out of Africa in order to make money.

In a country torn apart by the blood diamond trade, Solomon’s family is suddenly rent apart. When their town is attacked, Solomon’s wife and children run for their lives, and Solomon is capture and sent to work in the diamond fields.

When Danny discovers that Solomon has unearthed an incredibly rare pink diamond in the diamond fields, he latches onto the chance of obtaining this diamond and selling it for, quite literally, a fortune. Danny promises Solomon that he will help him find his family if, in return, Solomon will split the money he earns from the diamond with Danny. Desperate to find his family, Solomon agrees, and an amazing story begins to unfold.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Danny Archer in a way that is both believable and unforgettable. He flawlessly slides through the countless character changes that Danny goes through, and makes you sympathize just enough with Danny to hope that he ends up right in the end.

Djimon Hounsou lands a spectacular performance as Solomon Vandy. He commands you to feel the pain that Solomon goes through as his family is torn from him, and the untainted love that he shows throughout the film is the true heart of the story.

Jennifer Connelly plays Maddy Bowen, an American journalist who finds herself caught up in the middle of this war. She is continually seeking to put a stop to the cruelty that results from the blood diamond trade, and her search for a compelling story is what ties her to Danny and Solomon.

James Newton Howard delivers another amazing score that does not take away from, but only adds to, the drama of the story. Edward Zwick’s directing is just as amazing as it was in ‘The Last Samurai’, and I am definitely interested in seeing more of his films.

Overall, it is an absolutely incredible film—thought-provoking and moving, with excellent acting, directing, and scoring. I would actually be quite pleased to see DiCaprio and Hounsou win the Oscar for Best Lead and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. They both deliver absolutely superb performances, and make you believe in their characters.

In my opinion, ‘Blood Diamond’ is the best film of 2006, and one that is definitely at the top of my list for Best Picture come Oscar time. However, for fear of pumping it up too much and having you be disappointed when you see it, I will leave it at that.

One final promise, however . . . You will never look at a diamond the same way.

Rated R for strong violence and language. I submit this review with warnings for the same. While the violence is not actually that graphic, the language definitely merits a strong caution.

Overall rating: 10/10