Review of Blood Diamond as the ‘classic review’ feature first published in a November 2008 issue of Spark*, the newspaper of Reading University Students’ Union.

Director: Edward Zwick
Starring: Leonardo Di Caprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly
Running time: 143 mins

Only two years on from its original release, it may be hard for some to regard Blood Diamond as a ‘classic’, but classic it is. With its powerful mix of shocking ultra-violence, poignant scenes, liberal political message and standout performances, the film delivers on every level.

Blood Diamond begins with the dramatic and shocking assault on the village of Shenge by the Revolutionary United Front (the rebel side of the civil war), machine-gunning all in their path, murdering and maiming at will – these opening five minutes are hard to stomach, as the violence is almost too realistic. Women are raped and tortured. Children are abducted and torn from their families. Villagers are not killed have their hands cut off to prevent them voting in the Sierra Leone elections. Those with a nervous disposition or an aversion to blood, look away now. Along with seminal war films such as Saving Private Ryan, the bloodshed and gunfire in Blood Diamond is unsettling due to the fact that it really happened. What makes it even harder to watch is that we know that needless conflicts and atrocities like those witnessed in Sierra Leone are still going on.

Another element of near-the-knuckle realism is the film’s depiction of children being forcibly taken from their homes, brainwashed and indoctrinated (with shouts of “shed their blood! Shed their blood!”) and handed an AK-47. These are children, being taught to kill their parents and to relish the acts of murder they commit: making it all to easy to understand what Oxfam and Amnesty are fighting for when they say “children are born with these arms (hands), not these arms (guns)”.

The eponymous ‘blood diamond’ in question is a pink golf ball sized rock, which although on the face of it might sound impressive and beautiful, it becomes no more than an object of revulsion and disgust when we learn the lengths people go to obtain it and just how many lives pay for it. The diamond’s journey through the film forces the audience (this critic at least) to question why the hell we desire lumps of rock with which to adorn our fingers, necks and hands when people have to die in order for us to buy them.

The action sequences are gripping, terrifying, but more importantly ugly (the race out of Freetown in particular is adrenaline-charged) making a stark contrast with the majestic African landscape – the violence and hatred of the human conflict takes on a new devilry when set against the natural beauty of the continent.

Acting wise, the performances are spot-on. Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer is excellent, with a fantastic accent to match. Jennifer Connelly (Maddy Bowen) is also very good, although she isn’t given much reign as either of her co-stars. However, Djimon Hounsou steals the show with a reprise of the noble humanity and power he found in Gladiator to shape a truly moving performance. Supporting roles from Michael Sheen and David Harewood (as the psychotic Captain Poison) are also very solid.

The only thing detracting from the movie is the predictable Hollywood-shoehorning of a romantic subplot between DiCaprio and Connelly, which feels gratuitous and out of place. This aside however, Blood Diamond is an intense and thought-provoking thriller that is both profound and wildly entertaining. If you take away anything from the film, let it be the conviction to boycott conflict diamonds. Make sure they are ethically sourced, and not from African war zones. If you’re not careful, you might just have blood on your hands.