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shown of women and children being gunned down in cold blood and villages are set on fire. Later, the most disturbing part of the film comes when young boys are shown being taught how to fire automatic weapons and execute prisoners.
Director Edward Zwick again uses the theme of people changing for the better after being forced to interact with different people. In 1989's "Glory," it was white officers learning to get along with an all-black battalion. In 2003's "The Last Samurai," an American soldier became accustomed to a foreign culture.

Here, the main characters grow as humans a little, although this impact is lost when the script calls for them to engage in savage killing. DiCaprio as Danny goes from a shady, cynical mercenary to reluctantly caring for his forced partner's quest to reunite his family. Honsou in turn attempts to find trust in this nightmare world, as he tries to get into the mind of his partner and find commonality. Acting from all three leads is very good, despite a shaky accent from DiCaprio.
Photography for this film is stunning in its brutality. A virtual paradise turns into the nether world as the violence commences. The most stirring shot is the wide shot of the second-largest refugee camp in the land-with one million refugees in all.
Unfortunately, the film chooses to focus more on the violent quest for the pink diamond and not on the millions of civilians affected by the war funded by diamond mining, and even less on the plight of the young children forced to join a conflict and do unspeakable things. This is sad, since the film mentions that some 200,000 children still fight in wars throughout Africa.
"Blood Diamond" is difficult to watch. It is unpleasant, but at the same time it is riveting thriller about the darkest depths of the human soul. It is not a fun trip, but it is a trip worth taking.

FINAL GRADE: THREE-AND-A-HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE STARS)

"Blood Diamond"
From Warner Bros. Pictures
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Honsou, Michael Sheen, Arnold Vosloo, Basil Wallace and David Harewood
Directed by Edward Zwick
Screenplay by Charles Leavitt; Story by Leavitt and C. Gaby Mitchell
Running Time: 143 Minutes
Rated "R"-Strong Violence and Language

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