Blood Diamond (2006)

Directed by: Edward Zwick | 138 minutes | drama, thriller, adventure | Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hounsou, Kagiso Kuypers, Arnold Vosloo, Antony Coleman, Benu Mabhena, Anointing Lukola, David Harewood, Basil Wallace, Jimi Mistry, Michael Sheen, Marius Weyers, Stephen Collins, Ntare Mwine

For a moment it seems as if you have experienced a great and important movie the moment you walk out of the screen after watching Edward Zwick’s ‘Blood Diamond’. You may have had to shed a tear from the acting involved, have had occasional suspense during the action sequences, and briefly agonized over the “blood diamonds” trade that the film brings to the fore. However, this perception does not last long. In fact, the film does not seem to tell much in terms of content and as an action drama the whole does not make an above-average impression. Not that this equals a bad movie, but it’s not about much more than fleeting entertainment with a message. In any case, it is not Leonardo DiCaprio’s fault. He once again pours his heart and soul into a dramatic character. A character that is sketched quite simply in itself, but to which DiCaprio still manages to give the appearance of depth. In every new role, his character’s lived through life seems to be a bit more intense. Although he sometimes exaggerates the pathos by using his intense gaze and the increasingly prominent furrows in his forehead, he is usually very believable in his acting, including the learned South African accent. Djimon Hounsou’s comment in an interview that DiCaprio has changed from a boy to a man in recent years certainly contains a grain of truth. In dramatically versatile and mature roles, the actor is increasingly able to carry a film, although the superficial teen idol image he has had for a long time due to the aftermath of ‘Titanic’ has never really been justified. At every stage of his career, he has opted for interesting, non-obvious projects. As the mentally handicapped brother of Johnny Depp, he already made a big impression in ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’, but the young actor also had interesting roles in ‘The Basketball Diaries’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’. He then collaborated with Spielberg in his deceptively nimble “Catch Me If You Can” and has become Scorsese’s new muse, with whom he co-created “Gangs of New York,” “The Aviator,” and “The Departed.” where the actor seems to come into his own. Danny Archer’s role in ‘Blood Diamond’ is a nice addition to his resume and is also a major reason for the watchability of the film as a whole.

Director Zwick, who gave us an insight into Japanese Samurai culture with the help of Westerner Tom Cruise with his ‘The Last Samurai’, is now targeting the African continent, exposing the illegal trade in so-called “conflict diamonds”. is being asked. These diamonds are obtained in a bloody way by rebels and mixed with the legitimately obtained and traded diamonds through various illegal channels, thus washing the blood off, as it were. These diamonds simply end up next to the rest in jewelry stores, ready to be bought by unsuspecting consumers.

In itself an interesting and important fact to base a film on, but the matter is not really discussed in depth. It is becoming clear that the trade in blood diamonds is a bad thing and that we should not close our eyes to this, but to keep hammering on this without thoroughly analyzing the industry makes for a somewhat one-sided story. Zwick states in the press material that thematically important material and an exciting (action) film can go hand in hand, but although both aspects manage to touch the viewer at times, in the end neither of them offers sufficient added value to make the film above average. let it rise. The treatment of the action and tension on the one hand and the theme and message on the other are not particularly remarkable. Jennifer Connelly represents the film’s moral anchor, and the director’s voice, so to speak. She plays the kind of inspired, idealistic character she previously played in ‘Waking the Dead’ and serves to make DiCaprio’s Archer repent and make a clean sweep of his ethically irresponsible lifestyle. She plays her part believable enough, but the character is not very developed and comments about the disturbing situation in (South) Africa remain commonplace about doing good and the lack of attention in the (Western) press. Danny Archer is a more interesting character as the selfish (anti-)hero who comes into conflict with himself. DiCaprio gives Archer a layering that is ultimately not fully supported by the plot. His turn in the direction of the right path, for example, is slightly implausible, which weakens the effectiveness of this “insight” (for the viewer). Hounsou’s role as a noble African isn’t surprising either, but fortunately turns out to be less intrusive than the trailer suggested. His constant screaming in the trailer usually turns out to be disproportionate in the context of the film. Hounsou is looking for his own diamond in the film, namely his child, which of course underlines the reprehensibility of Archer’s goals and gives the film an extra emotional charge.

Whether this causes unnecessary tear-jerking or not, it does provide the viewer with the related subject of child soldiers, which makes for some disturbing scenes. This theme turned out not to be foreseen, Zwick explains, but it cropped up more and more throughout the film. Fortunately for the viewer, because it is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the entire film. The image of the recoil of a machine gun on the fragile body of an innocent child stays with you like no other. And the tears in their eyes when one of them has just unknowingly – because blindfolded – shot a man on command, painfully shows the corruption and destruction of this innocence. It is reminiscent of similar scenes in Fernando de Mereilles’ ‘City of God’. That film, however, managed to keep the rough, disturbing atmosphere longer, where ‘Blood Diamond’ too quickly gets bogged down in stereotypes. The bad guys are quite literal monsters, and man’s family, love, and goodness triumph over all. It makes for reasonably entertaining, exciting and sometimes interesting Hollywood fare, but it’s not a film that keeps spinning in your head for days after watching it.