Blood Diamond (2006)

Featured Audience Ratings

• John M

  
  DiCaprio, Hounsou and Connelly all shine in one of the best films ive seen in a long time. Just kept me glued to my set the whole time i watched this. This was a great film.

• xGary X

  
  A fisherman caught up in the civil war of Sierra Leone reluctanctly teams up with an amoral smuggler to retrieve a precious stone in the hope that it will secure freedom for his family. Edward Zwick has made a career of making worthy adventure-with-a-message movies which have tended… More
  A fisherman caught up in the civil war of Sierra Leone reluctanctly teams up with an amoral smuggler to retrieve a precious stone in the hope that it will secure freedom for his family. Edward Zwick has made a career of making worthy adventure-with-a-message movies which have tended to be a cut above the usual Hollwood action blockbuster fodder, and Blood Diamond is very much in this tradition. Rather than a deeply insightful analysis of the political situation, it is more of a straight action adventure that uses the conflict as a colourful backdrop to the story. Not that it doesn't have any points to make; it highlights the cynical complicity of the West in the conflict diamond trade, and the "politics" of the warring factions whose ideologies extend no further than greedy and corrupt self interest. Zwick's penchant for dewy eyed sentimentality does rear its head towards the end of the film, but no more so than most other films of its type; personally my favourite moment was when Hounsou wordlessly eyed the absurdly ostentatious bauble that has been the cause of all his woes, destined for the necks of the idle rich in a jewelry store window. If you want film-making with conscience that's more by the way of rousing adventure than emotionally harrowing, this is a fine choice.

• Sophie B

  
  Very good story which despite a few bumps had me interested all the way through. It was slightly too long but the performances were good enough to watch it.

• Eric A

  
  A movie with a huge message that needs to be watched.

• Jeff "

  
  I believe that Edward Zwick is a severely underrated director. What he has crafted with Blood Diamond is an important film on the topic of conflict diamonds. The film is brilliantly acted by its actors, Leonardo DiDiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou.Blood Diamond exposes an… More
  I believe that Edward Zwick is a severely underrated director. What he has crafted with Blood Diamond is an important film on the topic of conflict diamonds. The film is brilliantly acted by its actors, Leonardo DiDiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou.Blood Diamond exposes an important issue, one issue that people seem to ignore. I love how Edward Zwick was able to blend drama and action into this story. Blood Diamond is an underrated film that shouldn't be passed up. Zwick has a good eye for a good story, and he delivers it yet again with Blood Diamond. The film follows Diamond smuggler Danny Archer and Fisherman Solomon Vandy as they search for a diamond thats very rare and highly valuable. In The Process, Danny and Solomon try to rescue Solomons son Dia from RUF forces. Blood Diamond is an incredible film that deserves more praise. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers one of his strongest performances here and theres plenty of action and drama to keep the film going. Edward Zwick has always been able to tell a profound story, and Blood Diamond continues that tradition. This is a well crafted film that though fictional, is close to the truth. The questions raised in the film are important, and though entertaining, Blood Diamond is a necessary film that brings to light events that people choose to ignore.

• Brad W

  
  The movie was unbelievable, and what a cast

• Nadira I

  
  Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, and Djimon Hounsou plays the movie beautifully, but what makes the movie really good is their story that is (I believe) inspired by the true event. The situation in Sierra Leone might be better today, but we could probably still found the conflict… More
  Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, and Djimon Hounsou plays the movie beautifully, but what makes the movie really good is their story that is (I believe) inspired by the true event. The situation in Sierra Leone might be better today, but we could probably still found the conflict like that illustrated in this movie in Africa as a whole. War over money is the hardest problem that is happening there. This action movie is really good in any way: looking at the special effects and the moral side. A must watch, especially those who are interested in international relations.

• Albert K

  
  hits up on some sensitive topics... with blockbuster-explosive action which ruins the movie in my opinion. Good movie with great performances.

• Richard C

  
  A-

• KJ P

  
  Brilliant filmmaking! Edward Zwick is at his finest, and the cast could not act any better for the audience. The performance are completely believable and unforgettable. The movie holds a twist that nobody would expect, and I loved this movie from it's interesting start, to is… More
  Brilliant filmmaking! Edward Zwick is at his finest, and the cast could not act any better for the audience. The performance are completely believable and unforgettable. The movie holds a twist that nobody would expect, and I loved this movie from it's interesting start, to is action packed suspenseful finish!

• Jeremy S

  
  Blood Diamond, as the title sugests, is a rare violent action-packed thriller with a conscious that works on both the thrills and the tears in equal measure. Leonardo continues to prove his worth beyond Titanic with a grippingly real performance and supported by the heart wrenching… More
  Blood Diamond, as the title sugests, is a rare violent action-packed thriller with a conscious that works on both the thrills and the tears in equal measure. Leonardo continues to prove his worth beyond Titanic with a grippingly real performance and supported by the heart wrenching Dijimon Hounsou. The romantic natural timeless beauty of a conflict diamond is contrasted with the human modern disaster that surrounds it. This contrast multiplies the contradictions of Africa between wealth and poverty, freedom and slavery, white and black, life and death and becomes the perfect metaphor for Africa a 'god forsaken' land of extreems. Summed up by the coloquial expression T.I.A, 'This is Africa'

• Al S

  
  A powerful, outstanding and extraordinary movie. A spectacular triumph. Director, Edward Zwick never fails to deliver a film with such impact with characters and story. It's heart-pounding and adrenaline-pumping. It's stunning, thrilling and breathtaking. An unmissable and… More
  A powerful, outstanding and extraordinary movie. A spectacular triumph. Director, Edward Zwick never fails to deliver a film with such impact with characters and story. It's heart-pounding and adrenaline-pumping. It's stunning, thrilling and breathtaking. An unmissable and unforgettable film. An explosive and exhilarating action-packed adventure. A gripping, emotionally effective and deeply moving film. Leonardo Dicaprio and Djimon Hounsou both Shine. Dicaprio is remarkable, he gives the performance of his career. As Leo gets older he gets deeper and more intense and does not seem to fail at showing us something great. Hounsou is astonishing, he's never been better. A film with a serious message that hits us with such a fierce impact. A great gem of a film. Incredible, pulse-pounding and electrifying. It's brilliant, riveting and well-crafted. Great story, great action, great drama, great performances and just a great movie all together.

• Conner R

  
  It is one of Leonardo DiCaprio's biggest leaps in acting and a landmark in his career. While I didn't actually find the story all that moving, this is a very well shot film and captures the look they were trying to achieve 100%.

• Jennifer D

  
  I was rather impressed with this film. DiCaprio was very good, as usual and Djimon Hounsou was also fabulous. Beautifully shot.

• Film C

  
  i love this movie i cried at the end this is a powerful true movie that you cant help but enjoy, Decaprio is brilliant and does accent brilliantly really powerful entertaining movie that shouldnt be missed!

• Anthony L

  
  A good film that highlights important issues that many have forgotten or never even knew about. It?s a shame then when a contrived Hollywood varnish is coated on what could have been a five star film! Still, worth watching though!

• Thomas B

  
  i'm a huge fan of leo. he's a great actor, so versatile. this story is so moving, one guy trying to get back to his family. and that scene with the arms getting chopped off will stay with me forever.

• Phil H

  
  Very very good hard hitting emotional film of real life tradgedy. Decaprio is excellent and nails his slimy SA role (best performance yet) and Hounsou is also excellent as usual (a close Gladiator beater) making the whole film tremendous in both performance, location and looks. What… More
  Very very good hard hitting emotional film of real life tradgedy. Decaprio is excellent and nails his slimy SA role (best performance yet) and Hounsou is also excellent as usual (a close Gladiator beater) making the whole film tremendous in both performance, location and looks. What you see is all the more harrowing as its based on reality which has happened and goes on now as we live. It shows how cruel and evil the human race can be whilst at the same time how decent a person can be when they want to be, its extremely powerful and thought provoking, a true classic.

• Khris N

  
  Yeah this deserves four stars!! This is one of my favourite movies for the 2006-07 period, and it rightly deserves it! This had my attention all the way and never had a boring moment for me. I absolutley enjoyed it, and was really engrossed and absorbed by the enitre flick, especially… More
  Yeah this deserves four stars!! This is one of my favourite movies for the 2006-07 period, and it rightly deserves it! This had my attention all the way and never had a boring moment for me. I absolutley enjoyed it, and was really engrossed and absorbed by the enitre flick, especially its background and underlying issues that does not get enough recognition in the world. We are all familiar with hunger and famine in Africa, but I don't think the general world understands the illegal diamond trade and the violence and brutality of the civil wars and countless deaths involved, as well as the child soldiers system, which is near an abomination of mankind. This is hard hitting and pretty graphic, and very realistic. Africa is a wonderous place, but not peaceful and tranquil, rather a hell. Amongst the beautiful scenery such as lush forests and jungles and interesting cities, you are thrown into literal warzones and see bloodshed on a scale which rivals most war films such as Saving Private Ryan and others. The story is simple, and yet full of personal emotion and issues of trust, betrayl, honor and pretty much how people see the world in which they are in, and their way of surviving. It is literally about two men with two different lives, both of the same nation and earth, whose lives become intertwined over rare pink diamond, which in turn either represents life or death to whoever possess it. The cast is superb - Leo DiCaprio will always look like a kid, but he has sure grown up since Titanic, and this is his second best movie, aside from the Departed. Of course, I would see lots of actors playing the role of Danny Archer, the White-Afrikaan mercenary / smuggler, but I dont see anyone else nailing the white-afrikaan accent as well as Leo, which makes it all the more realistic and enjoyable. And to his credit, he really does make the character his own, a cold, calculating and heartless smuggler who only cares about himself and his future. This is in sharp contrast to Djimon Hounsou's Vandy, a fisherman and father who is captured by rebels and forced to work in the diamond mines until he finds the rare pink diamond. Not caring for anything but his family, Vandy reluctantly partners with the manipulative Archer to find the diamond, which in turn would help him find his family and safety. Jenniffer Connelly is a great acctress, and looked pretty hot in the movie. Without the glitz and baubles and other crap, simply put, she is very attractive, and is a journalist who wants to uncover the large diamond sumggling system from Africa to the First world. And her key is Danny Archer. The violence and action is realistic and well shot. Despite so much gunshots, explosions, and heaps of mess, everything is shown crystal clear, important moments are not lost in a haze, and story is well told and drawn out to a simple, moral and dignified ending for a movie which is supposed to make us aware of the world around us. This is a drama, not an action flick. Be prepared for climatic moments and lots of feeling, and all sorts of emotional messes. It shows two different lives and how it all turns out, and maybe how one can learn to redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow man. Lots of different things to see and understand in this movie to explain all. And maybe if you watch it you might see or feel something different. Yes, Im gonna buy my own copy too.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"It Will Cost You Everything"</i> A South African mercenary and a Mende fisherman find their fates forever intertwined as they embark on a quest to obtain a rare and highly coveted pink diamond in director Edward Zwick's frantic adventure drama. Ripped… More
  <i>"It Will Cost You Everything"</i> A South African mercenary and a Mende fisherman find their fates forever intertwined as they embark on a quest to obtain a rare and highly coveted pink diamond in director Edward Zwick's frantic adventure drama. Ripped from his family farm and forced to toil away in the sweltering South African diamond fields, Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) discovered an extraordinary rough stone of immeasurable value. Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hired gun who specializes in the sale of so-called "blood diamonds" that are used to finance rebellions and terrorist organizations, and is currently serving time for smuggling. As a bloody civil war rages in Sierra Leone and Archer learns that Vandy has safely hidden the diamond in a place where no one would ever suspect, the pair enlist the aid of disillusioned American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) in recovering the treasure that has the power to save Vandy's family and provide the desperate Archer with a much-needed chance for redemption. <b><u>Review</u></b> Tugging on the emotions of viewers, keeping people on the edge of seats, Blood Diamond is supreme in its ability to engage the sense of adventure, the horror of American greed and how it effects those who come near it. Behind the lust for money and diamonds can be seen the desperation that greed can bring about and the dehumanizing that is the result, or vice versa. The audience is asked in the beginning of the movie to see the events through the eyes of an African man separated from his family as well as through the eyes of a smuggler and a journalist. The end result, the viewer is then forced to come to their own conclusions.

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