Caffeinated Clint
Though most Camembert nibbling film aficionados like a side of brains with their cinema popcorn, Ed Zwick’s got a tub so full of the fluffy and tasty that any luck of meat can [mostly] be excused.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly
Though most Camembert nibbling film aficionados like a side of brains with their cinema popcorn, Ed Zwick’s got a tub so full of the fluffy and tasty that any luck of meat can [mostly] be excused.
A two-hander starring Leonardo DiCarprio and Djimon Hounsou, Zwick’s – he directed similar struggle-for-survival yarns like “Glory” and “Legends of the Fall” – “Blood Diamond” is a true story that fixes on two men caught in the little-reported but bloody and chaotic civil war that threatened every man, woman and child living in 1990’s Sierra Leone.
Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio is an ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe, and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) is a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories and their circumstances – one needs a blood diamond to make some cash, the other needs it to free his family – are completely dissimilar. Now, they’re forced to band together to recover the sparkly thing at any cost.
I gotta say it, Di Caprio is an insanely talented son of a gun. You can’t take your eyes off the guy; he’s one of today’s most credible artistes, and in the role of the complex Archer – with South African accent to boot – he gives one of his grandest performances to date. In addition, Djimon Hounsou (so good in “In America” a couple of years back) is indisputably likeable and highly convincing as the film’s hero-in-waiting.
I also gotta say this; the actors are much better than the script. Charles Leavitt’s screenplay, though effective and captivating enough, lacks a certain something – be it a better ability to emotionally connect with the characters, or a more frenetic drive to keep you glued. It also seems to move uneasily between political drama and Saturday matinee adventure movie, in turn resulting in an intriguing mesh of say, “Romancing the Stone” and “The Killing Fields”. There’s a point here; but unfortunately it’s been melted down to subsidise the wages of another 1000 extras.
Having said that, there are several moments that are truly harrowing and truly harrowing – just witnessing children offloading their firearms, or seeing thousands of innocent people slaughtered is enough to rattle anyone to the bone, and Zwick captures the madness effectively. In addition, the film itself looks a million bucks – or should we say, 100 carrots? – With its wide-ranging visuals and stunning backdrops.
All in all, this “Diamond” sparkles – just don’t look too close.
Commentary by the director and a smallish featurette in tow.
Rating : 
Reviewer : Clint Morris
