The movie is fueled by DiCaprio's intensity and believability.
Blood Diamond (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:204
Fresh:127
Rotten:77
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Blood Diamond overcomes poor storytelling with its biting commentary and fine performances.
Theatrical Release:26-01-2007
Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of the chaos and civil war that enveloped 1990s Sierra Leone, "Blood Diamond" is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), an ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe, and Solomon... Set against the backdrop of the chaos and civil war that enveloped 1990s Sierra Leone, "Blood Diamond" is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), an ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe, and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories and their circumstances are as different as any can be until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond, the kind of stone that can transform a life…or end it. Solomon, who has been taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields, finds the extraordinary gem and hides it at great risk, knowing if he is discovered, he will be killed instantly. But he also knows the diamond could not only provide the means to save his wife and daughters from a life as refugees but also help rescue his son, Dia, from an even worse fate as a child soldier. Archer, who has made his living trading diamonds for arms, learns of Solomon's hidden stone while in prison for smuggling. He knows a diamond like this is a once-in-a-lifetime find—valuable enough to be his ticket out of Africa and away from the cycle of violence and corruption in which he has been a willing player. Enter Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an idealistic American journalist who is in Sierra Leone to uncover the truth behind conflict diamonds, exposing the complicity of diamond industry leaders who have chosen profits over principles. Maddy seeks out Archer as a source for her article, but soon finds it is he who needs her even more. With Maddy's help, Archer and Solomon embark on a dangerous trek through rebel territory. Archer needs Solomon to find and recover the valuable pink diamond, but Solomon seeks something far more precious…his son. Directed by Edward Zwick, the action drama "Blood Diamond" stars Academy Award nominee Leonardo DiCaprio ("The Aviator"), Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly ("A Beautiful Mind") and Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou ("In America"). The screenplay was written by Charles Leavitt, from a story by Leavitt and C. Gaby Mitchell. Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Virtual Studios, "Blood Diamond," a Spring Creek / Bedford Falls production, in association with Initial Entertainment Group, released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. "Blood Diamond" is produced by Paula Weinstein, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz, Graham King and Gillian Gorfil. The executive producers are Len Amato, Kevin De La Noy and Benjamin Waisbren. The film also stars Michael Sheen, Arnold Vosloo, David Harewood, Basil Wallace and introduces Kagiso Kuypers as Dia. Collaborating with Zwick behind the scenes were director of photography Eduardo Serra, production designer Dan Weil, costume designer Ngila Dickson, and editor Steven Rosenblum. James Newton Howard composed the score. This film has been rated "R" by the MPAA for "strong violence and language" "Blood Diamond" opens nationwide on December 8, 2006, and will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. -- © Warner Bros. [More]
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hounsou, Stephen Collins
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hounsou, Stephen Collins, Jimi Mistry, Ato Essandoh, Michael Sheen, Basil Wallace, Kasigo Kuypers, Arnold Vosloo, Marius Weyers
Director: Edward Zwick
Director: Edward Zwick
Producer: Gillian Gorfil, Marshall Herskovitz, Graham King
Composer: James Newton Howard
Studio: Warner Bros.
Reviews for Blood Diamond
For its flaws, Blood Diamond is a gem, if only for being an unusually smart, engaged popcorn flick.
It's exciting and adventurous. Leonardo DiCaprio's forceful maturity is a revelation.
The makers this exceptionally foolish thriller starring a most excellent Leonardo DiCaprio, want you to know there may be blood on your hands, specifically your wedding finger.
Blood Diamond deserves kudos for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the diamond trade, but it's too accomplished an action film to have the impact of, say, Hotel Rwanda or even this year's Catch a Fire.
Much more so than those earlier films, Blood Diamond freely combines political grandstanding with action-adventure heroics.
There's an extraordinary subplot in Blood Diamond, sandwiched between a main story meant to arouse outrage and a Hollywood-clumsy finale meant to provoke a standing ovation.
There hasn't been a more entertaining and satisfying drama released to theaters in months.
Blood Diamond is a visually sumptuous, bullet-train-paced thriller with a really provocative theme.
Cinemaniacs with a palate sophisticated enough to tell a carat from a carrot will recognize the picture as over-produced, overly long, and potentially racist to boot.
Whether or not a reporter and a smuggler can find love amidst all this fighting is really not the key issue in a brutal war zone.
Kanye West's four-minute song 'Diamonds From Sierra Leone' conveys an anti-diamond message more clearly and effectively than 143 awful minutes of The Blood Diamond.
It's hard to credit the anti-exploitation message of a movie that treats its African men, women and children as wholesale cannon fodder, doomed-but-noble ciphers or sneering, bloodthirsty sociopaths.
Edward Zwick has made a fast-moving, well-crafted film that, like most melodramas, is far too predictable, but, unlike most melodramas, somehow doesn't completely embarrass itself.
It has an intensity that's just spellbinding, with surprises around every corner -- many of them horrifying.
Despite its flaws, Blood Diamond is an excellently shot and edited adventure with two commanding performances.
Ed Zwick's masterful drama features Oscar-caliber performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou.
The film glitters like a . . . ruby. Yeah, ruby. Because diamonds are bad.
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