TIA. No this is not the usual "Thanks in Advance" that we are so used to sign-off our mails with. This is something more stark and straight in the face - 'This Is Africa'. Yes Africa. The war torn land that has been ravaged by tyrants, rebels, and not surprisingly businessmen alike. A land that is so full of nature's rarest of rare gifts that channels like Discovery and Nat Geo literally thrive on it. But these gifts include Ivory, Gold, Oil and that every woman's best friend - Diamond. Africa, the land that has been gifted and yet cursed. Its precious gifts have drawn upon it an undivided attention of all the greed and power in the world. And with that has come enduring struggle and elusive peace. For so long this continent has witnessed so many bloody civil wars that the people believe that the soil is red because of all the blood that it has soaked for so many years. This is the land that even Gods have forgotten about. And Blood Diamond is a story of this continent and its people.
The Plot: Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a solder of fortune trying to sell some high end sophisticated military hardware to warring factions in civil war ravaged Sierra Leone, a small West African Nation, in return for crude diamonds. It does not matter if he is helping people on both sides of "The Law", as far as he is getting his cut. These diamonds mined from Sierra Leone's slave camps are then smuggled into the neighboring country Liberia for exporting them to the nations of the West. Needless to say, the whole movie revolves around this particular aspect of the origin of majority of African Diamonds - known notoriously as the Conflict Diamonds, thanks to the Kimberly Process that came into effect in 2003. During one of his misadventures, he gets caught and is put into prison. There he gets to know a local fisherman by name Soloman Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) with a misplaced family during a raid by rebels on his village. Soloman is taken as a slave by the Commander of the rebels to work at a diamond mine. Now it so happens that during his labour at the slave camp, Soloman comes across a particularly large size of the hardened Carbon, pink diamond, which he obviously tries to keep for himself. But the rebel commander finds out about it and just as he is trying to kill Soloman for the stone, the camp gets attacked by Government troops and everybody is taken into custody. But not before Soloman hides the stone in the ground. In the prison Danny is witness to a spat between the Rebel Commander and Soloman, and comes to know about the stone. He immediately decides to buy his way out of Africa forever using the stone, and through his influential connections gets himself and Soloman out of the prison.
While Danny is particularly interested in getting his hands on the diamond, Soloman is desperate to find out what happened to his wife and kids. While pursuing Soloman to join him, Danny comes across a disillusioned American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) who is in search for the inside story on conflict diamonds, her last resort to somehow get the attention of the whole world on the plight of the people in Sierra Leone. Her close ties with UN personnel enabling her to trace Solomon's family makes her a perfect yet reluctant accomplice in Danny's plans. And thus is forged the most unlikeliest of alliance. The already paced movie then goes into top gear, taking us onto an emotional yet action packed journey through the confines of Africa, ending into the three accomplishing their individual missions, albeit with a difference.
But the USP of the film is its gory, realistic and no frills attached depiction of how the terrorist and warlords are hiring young guns to wage their own war. Remember that particularly touching yet shocking scene from Black Hawk Down where a US Marine has to shoot down a young boy brandishing an AK47 in his hands? Ever wondered if it could be real? Well, wonder no more. You will get your answers here, explained in the most brilliant manner possible, through Solomon's son Dia. He is abducted from a refugee camp by the same Rebel Commander who knows about the pink diamond, after coming out of the prison. And he trains him to be a guerilla in his army. The scene where Solomon tries to turn his son's heart and make him remember where he truly belongs is particularly heart wrenching.
Rating: 2.25/2.5
Direction: The director, Edward Zwick, has an impressive resume in Courage under fire, The Siege, I am Sam and The Last Samurai. He knows how to play with audience's emotions very well. There are many heart warming incidents in the film and all the action and reality has been packed really well with the stories of optimism and hope. Though he is trying to put forth a strong message, he never gets carried away. Everything is measured.
Rating: 2/2.5
Acting: There are three protagonists in the movie.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer has given yet another superb and sustained performance. He plays a ruthless soldier of fortune who has sold his soul to The Devil himself, hardened by personal life experiences, and who will resort to any means in order to get his hands on the stone. Yet, somewhere in an unexplored part of his heart resides a soul that is righteous. The character is not as complex and demanding as the one from The Departed, but he surely delivers a power packed performance. He truly departed from the chocolate boy, good guy image with his character in Gangs of New York and then he has taken it to the next level in the latest two movies. And his consistency in dishing out brilliant performances in a row - The Gangs of New York, Catch Me if You Can, The Aviator, The Departed and Blood Diamond - is worth mentioning. His Oscar nomination is well deserved.
Djimon Hounsou (remember seeing him in Gladiator?) as Solomon Vandy earned a well deserved Oscar for his supporting role, that of a simple fisherman motivated to go to ends of world in order to get his family back. Jennifer Connelly as the journalist has an important role too, but does not get enough footage. Yet job well done.
Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy Franchise) and Jimi Mistry (The Guru) make the rest of the cast.
Rating: 2/2.5
Screenplay/Music/Cinematography/Editing: The story is well written and is successful in conveying the message that it aims to. It explains the plight of the continent, coming on the lines of The Constant Gardener, though in a different way. The story makes a strong statement with the trade of conflict diamonds, and has made me convinced that I need to ensure that my marriage proposal is not funding any arms to claim innocent lives.
The background score is good but not over the top.
Cinematography is the captivating factor of the movie where at one point we are watching a city with bullet hole riddled walls, and suddenly we find ourselves into a country side with green pastures. Some of the action scenes are also very well picturised. Equally complementing is the editing, and we never lose track of the story.
Rating: 2.25/2.5
So all in all a truly touching and impressive movie.
My Rating: 8.5/10
Pity it did not win an Oscar Nomination for the Best Motin Picture.
The Plot: Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a solder of fortune trying to sell some high end sophisticated military hardware to warring factions in civil war ravaged Sierra Leone, a small West African Nation, in return for crude diamonds. It does not matter if he is helping people on both sides of "The Law", as far as he is getting his cut. These diamonds mined from Sierra Leone's slave camps are then smuggled into the neighboring country Liberia for exporting them to the nations of the West. Needless to say, the whole movie revolves around this particular aspect of the origin of majority of African Diamonds - known notoriously as the Conflict Diamonds, thanks to the Kimberly Process that came into effect in 2003. During one of his misadventures, he gets caught and is put into prison. There he gets to know a local fisherman by name Soloman Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) with a misplaced family during a raid by rebels on his village. Soloman is taken as a slave by the Commander of the rebels to work at a diamond mine. Now it so happens that during his labour at the slave camp, Soloman comes across a particularly large size of the hardened Carbon, pink diamond, which he obviously tries to keep for himself. But the rebel commander finds out about it and just as he is trying to kill Soloman for the stone, the camp gets attacked by Government troops and everybody is taken into custody. But not before Soloman hides the stone in the ground. In the prison Danny is witness to a spat between the Rebel Commander and Soloman, and comes to know about the stone. He immediately decides to buy his way out of Africa forever using the stone, and through his influential connections gets himself and Soloman out of the prison.
While Danny is particularly interested in getting his hands on the diamond, Soloman is desperate to find out what happened to his wife and kids. While pursuing Soloman to join him, Danny comes across a disillusioned American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) who is in search for the inside story on conflict diamonds, her last resort to somehow get the attention of the whole world on the plight of the people in Sierra Leone. Her close ties with UN personnel enabling her to trace Solomon's family makes her a perfect yet reluctant accomplice in Danny's plans. And thus is forged the most unlikeliest of alliance. The already paced movie then goes into top gear, taking us onto an emotional yet action packed journey through the confines of Africa, ending into the three accomplishing their individual missions, albeit with a difference.
But the USP of the film is its gory, realistic and no frills attached depiction of how the terrorist and warlords are hiring young guns to wage their own war. Remember that particularly touching yet shocking scene from Black Hawk Down where a US Marine has to shoot down a young boy brandishing an AK47 in his hands? Ever wondered if it could be real? Well, wonder no more. You will get your answers here, explained in the most brilliant manner possible, through Solomon's son Dia. He is abducted from a refugee camp by the same Rebel Commander who knows about the pink diamond, after coming out of the prison. And he trains him to be a guerilla in his army. The scene where Solomon tries to turn his son's heart and make him remember where he truly belongs is particularly heart wrenching.
Rating: 2.25/2.5
Direction: The director, Edward Zwick, has an impressive resume in Courage under fire, The Siege, I am Sam and The Last Samurai. He knows how to play with audience's emotions very well. There are many heart warming incidents in the film and all the action and reality has been packed really well with the stories of optimism and hope. Though he is trying to put forth a strong message, he never gets carried away. Everything is measured.
Rating: 2/2.5
Acting: There are three protagonists in the movie.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer has given yet another superb and sustained performance. He plays a ruthless soldier of fortune who has sold his soul to The Devil himself, hardened by personal life experiences, and who will resort to any means in order to get his hands on the stone. Yet, somewhere in an unexplored part of his heart resides a soul that is righteous. The character is not as complex and demanding as the one from The Departed, but he surely delivers a power packed performance. He truly departed from the chocolate boy, good guy image with his character in Gangs of New York and then he has taken it to the next level in the latest two movies. And his consistency in dishing out brilliant performances in a row - The Gangs of New York, Catch Me if You Can, The Aviator, The Departed and Blood Diamond - is worth mentioning. His Oscar nomination is well deserved.
Djimon Hounsou (remember seeing him in Gladiator?) as Solomon Vandy earned a well deserved Oscar for his supporting role, that of a simple fisherman motivated to go to ends of world in order to get his family back. Jennifer Connelly as the journalist has an important role too, but does not get enough footage. Yet job well done.
Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy Franchise) and Jimi Mistry (The Guru) make the rest of the cast.
Rating: 2/2.5
Screenplay/Music/Cinematography/Editing: The story is well written and is successful in conveying the message that it aims to. It explains the plight of the continent, coming on the lines of The Constant Gardener, though in a different way. The story makes a strong statement with the trade of conflict diamonds, and has made me convinced that I need to ensure that my marriage proposal is not funding any arms to claim innocent lives.
The background score is good but not over the top.
Cinematography is the captivating factor of the movie where at one point we are watching a city with bullet hole riddled walls, and suddenly we find ourselves into a country side with green pastures. Some of the action scenes are also very well picturised. Equally complementing is the editing, and we never lose track of the story.
Rating: 2.25/2.5
So all in all a truly touching and impressive movie.
My Rating: 8.5/10
Pity it did not win an Oscar Nomination for the Best Motin Picture.
