jirpy100
03-28-2007, 06:09 AM
Leonardo DiCaprio plays an ex-soldier turned diamond smuggler during real-life events in Sierra Leone, circa 1999.
His co-star Djimon Hounsou is an innocent African who gets caught up in the nasty business of child soldiers, civil war and diamond smuggling. DiCaprio has almost no redeeming values as he tries to persuade Djimon to guide him to a big diamond which will set him up for life. Meanwhile Jennifer Connelly plays a reporter doing a story on blood diamonds.
For some reason this was not too popular with American audiences. Edward Zwick made a pretty good film, and shows Hollywood does have a conscience. It's in line with say Tears of the Sun and The Last King of Scotland, in that it presents a slightly different picture of Africa. It seems more balanced, and makes for a pretty interesting story by portraying neither Westerners nor Africans as the sole reasons for the problems there.
And the action, when it comes, it quite well done, with DiCaprio's character coming off as being very skilled.
His co-star Djimon Hounsou is an innocent African who gets caught up in the nasty business of child soldiers, civil war and diamond smuggling. DiCaprio has almost no redeeming values as he tries to persuade Djimon to guide him to a big diamond which will set him up for life. Meanwhile Jennifer Connelly plays a reporter doing a story on blood diamonds.
For some reason this was not too popular with American audiences. Edward Zwick made a pretty good film, and shows Hollywood does have a conscience. It's in line with say Tears of the Sun and The Last King of Scotland, in that it presents a slightly different picture of Africa. It seems more balanced, and makes for a pretty interesting story by portraying neither Westerners nor Africans as the sole reasons for the problems there.
And the action, when it comes, it quite well done, with DiCaprio's character coming off as being very skilled.