I finally got to watch the movie “Blood Diamond” yesterday, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou, directed and produced by Edward Zwick.
I’ve been wanting to watch this movie ever since it was released, mainly because I wanted to see how the issue was handled and presented, and secondly because Leonardo DiCaprio plays the role of a Zimbabwean diamond smuggler, with the accent and all, so yeah there was some nostalgia involved.
I really liked the movie, and I think it hits the right spot. As someone on imdb rightly puts it, this movie is a lot like Hotel Rwanda, another great movie which shows how terrible things are in Africa, and that the world is doing nothing to help; except that Blood Diamond shows that not only isn’t the world doing anything to help stop the bloodshed, but in fact is supporting and nurturing it.
The movie handles the issue of blood diamonds, otherwise known as conflict diamonds or war diamonds, which are diamonds that are mined in a war zone and sold, usually clandestinely, in order to finance an insurgent or invading army’s war efforts.
The story of the film is woven around the main characters to portray the sad reality created by the trade of blood diamonds.
The acting was very good, and I’m really appreciating Leonardo DiCaprio more and more as an actor with every new movie I see him in; Djimon Hounsou also gave a great performance as usual.
So it’s only normal that, among the five nominations this movie got for the Oscars, we find the nominations for Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Best Supporting Actor (Djimon Hounsou).
Movie-making wise, the film was really well done too.
I think movies like this one are really important to show people what others in some parts of the world are going through, and how their smallest actions could affect those people’s lives in a very big way.
Africa is an extremely rich continent which has been used, abused and thrown into suffering time and again by the leading powers of the world. It is unacceptable, it is important for the world to see and know this, and action has to be taken to stop it from going on.
Despite all the problems they’re living through, an old man in the movie tells Djimon Hounsou’s character: “just think what mess we would be in if we had oil!”
I can only agree with this old man; these days having oil is a curse for any country, it will only mean unwarranted attacks and wars launched upon its people.
In short, I recommend this movie, and while I’m at it, I also recommend watching Hotel Rwanda.
My score for this movie would be: 8.5/10.
U saw it in big screen? it’s one hell of a movie, i heard they’re making an imax out of it.
Hotel Rwanda is the mother of all movies.
Dicaprio’s performance was not bad, at least he looked like an adult in this movie.
@Napo: Nope, unfortunately, I didn’t get to see it on the big screen. I’m back in Tunis now, so Blood Diamond will only make it to the mediocre screens of our cinemas by 2009 at best. I had to rent it and watch it at home.
Anyway, the quality was pretty good, and I enjoyed the movie, still I’m sure it would’ve been a lot better in a cinema, and it’d look amazing on imax.
As for DiCaprio, his role in Titanic and his boyish looks kind of haunt him, but I think he’s showing himself to be quite a good actor, especially in his more recent movies.
MMM, you can get a big screen at home you know, for a fifteen hundred, a good DLP projector, an average sound system and a clean white painted wide wall and you’re in business. You should try it if you’re a movie addict.
How are the preparation for the big move?
@Napo: Well, even though I am a movie addict, as bad as they can get, and I’d love to get a DLP projector, I think I can find some better uses for the fifteen hundred at the time being.
As for the preparations, well we’re still in the pre-preparation pre-confirmation stages, so no real action going on yet. I hope things move on faster, but well, everything is good in its own time.
tell me about it. when there is a kid in life, priorities shift. just look at the cost associated with diapers :-))..and you’ll forgot everything else.
amma they’re so cute !!!! a true blessing
I couldn’t agree more, kids are a blessing, they change everything, priorities are re-arranged, and life is turned upside down, and it feels great 🙂
Hotel Rwanda was a great movie indeed. There are a lot of awful things going on there and some of them are shown even in Lost, not to mention The Last King of Scotland, Another great movie.