Blood Diamond (2006)

Director: Edward Zwick

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

A few years back I had the pleasure of visiting Antwerp, Belgium, a
place many deem "the diamond capital of the world." Never before or
since have I been in a location where I was surrounded by so much
"bling". Storefronts had so many diamonds on display you would think
they should be better kept in some European version of Fort Knox.

The film Blood Diamond puts an entirely new spin on Antwerp, the
diamond industry and that pricey stone you might be wearing around your
neck, on your ring finger, or in your ears (mine are cubic-Zs). Set in
the West African country of Sierra Leone during the 1990s, this
historical-adventure-drama covers a time when the country was in
turmoil. Warlords, smugglers and the diamond syndicate all play roles
in a refugee exodus, and the killing and enslaving of men to work the
diamond fields. The title refers to diamonds which are harvested,
smuggled and traded to finance the purchase of weapons used in Civil
War.

Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) stars as a fisherman who has his family
torn apart and instead of being killed, is sent to work mining diamonds
where he finds and hides a large stone. Danny Archer (Leonardo
DiCaprio) a former mercenary, diamond-smuggler, middleman, you-name-it,
is looking to score with that stone and exit the business for good.
Writer Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) is tired of writing shallow
stories about less than newsworthy events; she is looking for
information about major players in the diamond trade. They all come
together in a fast paced, adventure packed piece of film-making that is
brutal at times but never boring. The film has a pleasant,
unanticipated ending, something hard to pull off in a film of this
kind.

Director/Producer Edward Zwick is probably the best in Hollywood at
taking a big budget feature film with a historical theme and carefully
relay a message without lecturing his audience. His earlier works
include a story of the first all-black U.S. Civil War company in
"Glory" a film, which resulted in Denzel Washington winning his first
Oscar. Zwick takes credit for works like The Last Samurai, Shakespeare
in Love, Traffic and Courage Under Fire. He is second to no one when it
comes to balancing a historical event with action-drama entertainment.
Edward Zwick is one of few L.A. directors who still works within the
Hollywood establishment yet is able to put out good quality film.

Check out Blood Diamond, your "bling" may never look the same again.