| Product: |
Blood Diamond (DVD) |
| Date: |
22/02/08 (50 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: great storyline, Leonardo is pretty good in the film.
Disadvantages: Upsetting.
When I first heard about Blood Diamond, I was like not another Leonardo DiCaprio movie. I'm probably one of the only people who can't stand one of his first movies, Titanic. Titanic came out in 1997 and DiCaprio was young and quite juvenile in his acting.
His acting in 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' is fantastic, but when I first watched Titanic I was slightly disappointed, so when we rented this film from Blockbusters I was slightly worried.
It's quite slow to get into, but I've always give a film about 45 minutes, because that's when most of them start to get into it, and this film was the same. DiCaprio's acting was fantastic, his South African accent was flawless and if he wasn't so well known he'd have passed easily as a South African.
THE PLOT
Blood Diamond is about two men, Danny Archer (DiCaprio) and Solomon Vandy (Hounson), Archer is a South African mercenary and Vandy is a Mende Fisherman. The film is set in the 1990's is Sierra Leone where the chaos and the civil war was going on.
Vandy and his son are taken, Dia becomes a little soldier and is brainwashed against his family and Solomon is taken to work as a slave, made to find diamonds. When he finds a big pink diamond, he manages to hide it before the place where he's been made to dig is ransacked by the government. He's put in prison, where he meets Archer who over hears that Vandy has found a pink diamond. The two men work together to find different things. Archer promises that if Vandy shows him where the diamond is, Archer will help him find his son.
THE CHARECTERS
Leonardo DiCaprio's role is fantastic, like I said before he's believable. He plays the suave mercenary who's only out to get the diamond for himself, he shines in this role, I think it's one of his best. He's not however the best actor in the film.
Dijimon Hounsou plays the African fisherman who has his family taken away from him and is then made to work for the bad guy. He works with Archer to help him find the diamond, and then to find his son. He shines in this film, he's the best actor by far.
Jennifer Connelly plays Maddy Bowen, who's a writer who is tired of writing terrible stories and is looking for a proper one that people will read. She only has a small role, but is able to make it her own, and you do remember her unlike some of the characters in the movie. She aids Vandy & Archer to find his family and the diamond.
OTHER
I have previously seen quite a few films that are set in Africa. 'The Constant Gardener', 'The Interpreter' & 'The Last King Of Scotland' and they all disappointed me, but this film doesn't. 'The Last King Of Scotland' was unnecessarily violent and gross at times, I didn't think it was needed at the time, where as this film may be quite violent, it helps the story and makes you feel more for the characters.
By the end of the film I was crying, I thought it was a beautiful ending and the whole story was well written.
I would recommend this story to any adult, I wouldn't let anyone younger watch it and they've rated it right at a 15.
I wouldn't say this is an amazing, brilliant film at all, the storyline touches you in ways that you know this is still going on today in Africa and because of that you can't properly think this film is good. Who would really want to watch something that is truthfully happening as you're watching the film, and not everyone is being saved?
Don't get me wrong the acting is fantastic, and the storyline is great, but I wouldn't watch it again and it's quite upsetting to see. Still I think everyone else will have their own opinion of it, but this is mine.
To see the special features I think you have to buy the two disk special.
Thanx for reading.
Please comment.
Kirsty.
© 2008
Summary: It's a great film, with a fantastic storyline. Will recommend it to most people.
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