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"Blood Diamond" Shows Humankind at its Most Primal"
"Blood Diamond' is an uncomfortable film to watch. It shows how low humans will sink in order to obtain their greatest desires. The people in this movie become violent, ruthless parodies of human beings, more likely to flash a machine gun at passersby or friends than to shake their hands. In this film, the desire of something-a rare gem, a reunion with a family member, a political revolution-plunges all into a blood-soaked abyss where humanity is at its most primal.
The titular blood diamond leads to these obsessions and the eventual path to Hades on Earth. The film is set in 1990s Sierra Leone. As the nation is torn by civil war, a fisherman named Solomon Vandy (Djimon Honsou) watches as rebels burn his village and separate him from his family. He is sent to fish for diamonds, which they use to purchase additional weaponry.
Just before his escape, Solomon discovers a very large, very rare pink-colored diamond. He hides it, knowing full well that the gem will be very important. Upon his escape, Solomon hopes to find his lost family and use the diamond to rebuild their lives.
Meanwhile, a South African mercenary and diamond smuggler named Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is thrown is prison after getting caught smuggling diamonds across the border. Danny soon discovers that Solomon knows about the diamond and decides to help him find his family in exchange for a cut of the diamond. Danny makes it clear he does not care for Solomon; he wants the diamond to pay off old debts, and it will be his "ticket off this god forsaken continent."
The two men are joined in their quest by an American journalist named Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), who seeks to know about a London diamond company's involvement in illegally buying diamonds smuggled across the border to Liberia (according to the Kimberley Process, adopted by the United Nations in 2002, it is illegal to import "conflict diamonds," or "blood diamonds," gems obtained during wartime in another country). She sticks to Danny, hoping that his involvement with smuggling will help her unveil the company's pilfering of the gems and profiting off the war, and in the search for the diamond receives an up-close look at the horrors of the war.
All three have reasons for wanting the diamond. The trick is to find it before the trigger-happy rebels find it and kill them.
There are numerous unsettling images throughout "Blood Diamond," many which come early. Close-ups are
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The verdict: Visceral, powerful, entertaining and emotive. This is proper cinema. Go see it.
The rating: 8/10
Blood Diamond
BLOOD DIAMOND
Diamonds are forever, but to what cost? Are you aware that there are thousands of slaves working in diamond
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