Blood Diamond (2006)

A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond.

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers:

Charles Leavitt (screenplay), Charles Leavitt (story),

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Danny Archer
Djimon Hounsou	...	Solomon Vandy
Jennifer Connelly	...	Maddy Bowen
Kagiso Kuypers	...	Dia Vandy
Arnold Vosloo	...	Colonel Coetzee
Antony Coleman	...	Cordell Brown
Benu Mabhena	...	Jassie Vandy
Anointing Lukola	...	N'Yanda Vandy
David Harewood	...	Captain Poison
Basil Wallace	...	Benjamin Kapanay
Jimi Mistry	...	Nabil
Michael Sheen	...	Rupert Simmons
Marius Weyers	...	Rudolf Van De Kaap
Stephen Collins	...	Ambassador Walker
Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine	...	M'Ed (as Ntare Mwine)

Storyline

A story following Archer, a man tortured by his roots. With a strong survival instinct, he has made himself a key player in the business of conflict diamonds. Political unrest is rampant in Sierra Leone as people fight tooth for tooth. Upon meeting Solomon, and the beautiful Maddy, Archer's life changes forever as he is given a chance to make peace with the war around him.

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Plot Keywords:

diamond | rebel | fisherman | sierra leone | american | 

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Taglines:

From the director of "Glory" and "The Last Samurai"

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [fr] Warner Bros. [us]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English Mende Afrikaans

Release Date:

8 December 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Diamond

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,471,104 (UK) (26 January 2007)

Gross:

$57,366,262 (USA) (6 April 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Virtual Studios, Spring Creek Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe were Edward Zwick's first two choices for the role of Danny Archer. They later starred together in Body of Lies.

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Goofs

When the sun is seen rising over Freetown, it rises over the ocean. Freetown is in Western Africa, where the sun rises over the continent to the east.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Solomon Vandy: Dia. Dia. Don't want to be late.
Dia Vandy: English boys don't go to school every day.

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Connections

References Apocalypse Now (1979)

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Soundtracks

"When I Get Free"
Written by Tupac Shakur (as Tupac Amaru Shakur), Malcolm Greenidge, Katari Cox (as Katari T. Cox) and Ricky Rouse
Performed by Tupac Shakur (as 2Pac) featuring J. Valentine
Courtesy of Interscope Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

A great character film with two excellent performances.

Since there is very little in the negative column, let me disperse with it first: 'Blood Diamond' might fairly be accused of 'bleeding heart syndrome' (more on that in a bit), has a few minor pacing issues and seems unsure with how to end. The ending that they chose extends the film too far, seems forced and is tacked on. The more natural ending is on the mountainside -- you'll know what I mean when you see it. Those things said, the positives are much greater and this film showcased two towering performances. Djimon Hounsou is nothing short of incredible and I'd be astonished if he isn't considered at Oscar time. Secondly, although I've had little patience for him before, Leonardo DiCaprio has really impressed me this year. With his performances in 'The Departed' and now 'Blood Diamond,' I think I need to reappraise my own biases against him. I'm becoming a fan.

Some of the early reviews that I read painted 'Blood Diamond' as hysterical left-winger cause-head paradise. They suggest that the conflict diamond situation has been exaggerated and completely distorted. I don't know if that is the case. The film makes a compelling case but I don't base my political and economic decisions on films that I watch. My interest here was to see how characters would respond to adversity and a terrible, horrifyingly dark situation. The political agenda of the film isn't as cloyingly bombastic as I was afraid it might be. This is a film that, while concerned with the political situation in Africa, focuses more on how the obsessive search for a large, rare pink diamond consumes those who get too close to it.

DiCaprio is excellent as a Rhodesian (HIS description) mercenary and arms dealer working in Sierra Leone. Hounsou is a fisherman who gets drawn into the civil war raging around him and discovers a pink diamond that could save -- or destroy -- both he and his family. Jennifer Connelly plays a journalist trying to discover if a huge multi-national diamond company is knowingly in the market for conflict diamonds. Jennifer Connelly seems to get the worst of the dialogue. When told that Americans are in part to blame for conflict diamonds she responds with a line about 'not all girls want a fantasy wedding.' It makes her look naive at best and silly at worst. She generally manages to save the character from either of those fates though and also manages to avoid self-righteousness when dealing with some of the films more morally flexible characters. Hounsou is great and the desperation in his character as he tries to find his family crackles on the screen. He is cagey and understands what he needs to do to survive. His character is not above playing servile if that will keep him alive. And when provoked to violence, the result was absolutely chilling. In much smaller roles are Arnold Vosloo as a mercenary Colonel, Stephen Collins as a diplomat and Michael Sheen as an executive at a diamond company. Excellent performances all around.

Is 'Blood Diamond' judgemental? I think that is the wrong question. The film is a character study both of all the men pursuing the pink diamond and what effect it has on them, but it is also a character study of Africa. Tragic and heartsick, 'Blood Diamond' is drenched with cynicism and defeatism. Why is there misery and exploitation? "TIA," explains DiCaprio to Connelly, "This Is Africa." In contrast to a film like 'Traffic,' 'Blood Diamond' doesn't wallow in hopelessness. Some of the characters might be cynical but the film itself does search for hope. The heart of the picture is the human cost. Characters see the wealth of the diamond and are destroyed by it. The film shares a great deal thematically with a film like 'Treasure of the Sierra Madre.' High praise for a high quality film.