Blood Diamond

4/4

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, Arnold Vosloo

Rated R for Strong Violence and Language

In my opinion, “Blood Diamond” was the best film of 2006, easily superior to the winner of the Best Picture Oscar, “The Departed.”  This action/adventure/thriller is effective on every level it strives for, and unlike another politically-minded adventure that I saw recently, “Beyond Borders,” it informs without being preachy.

Sierra Leone, 1999.  The land is lush and healthy, exactly the kind of place one would want to go on vacation.  But looks can be deceiving; beneath the gorgeous exterior lie roads running red with blood.  A civil war over the control of the diamond trade is ravaging the nation.  A farmer, Solomon Vandy (Hounsou), has had his family torn away from him by rebel forces and he is sent to work in a mining camp.  There, he finds an enormous diamond, which he secretly hides.  After the camp is infiltrated by government forces, Solomon runs into a mercenary named Danny Archer (DiCaprio).  Archer wants to stone for himself so he can get out of Africa, but he needs Solomon to show him where it is.  And with the help of a journalist named Maddy Bowen (Connelly), they set off to find it.

The background material in the film is fascinating, and the script fully utilizes it to create multi-layered conflicts with all of the characters, specifically Archer.  For example, Archer thinks only of himself; people kill each other so much around him that he ceases to care.  But in order to get the diamond, he has to break down his own barriers (or at least fake it).  The setting is also well-realized.  The government forces are just as brutal as the rebels, with lay people being caught in the middle.  This is not a happy place to be.

The acting is superb.  Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent as the selfish Archer who has to jump through his own mental hoops to get the stone.  Danny Archer is a far cry from Jack Dawson, but DiCaprio’s acting skill has only gotten better.  Djimon Hounsou is an actor capable of sensitive subtlety and frightening intensity, and he is given opportunities to show both ends of the spectrum.  Solomon doesn’t care about the diamond; the only reason he is leading Archer to it is because the white mercenary has promised to help him find his son.  On paper, Jennifer Connelly is saddled with the weak link; Maddy Bowen is the clichéd role of the liberal journalist who wants to make a difference.  Fortunately for the film, Connelly is an extraordinarily talented actress who gives the character a lot of spunk, which puts her on an even playing field with her co-stars.  Arnold Vosloo is given a rare supporting role, and this time he actually speaks more than a few token words (unlike his performance as Imhotep in the first two Mummy movies), and David Harewood is positively chilling as Captain Poison, the leader of the rebels.

Edward Zwick has proven himself to be a master of the action epic, with masterworks like “Glory” and “The Last Samurai” already on his resume.  But “Blood Diamond” is his best work, functioning both as a superior summer action movie and a film worthy of a number of Oscars.  Even at nearly 2.5 hours, the film is well-paced, with a number of thrilling action sequences.

If you haven’t already seen it, do so soon.  You will not regret it.