Film review - Blood Diamond

Gareth Jones is won over by DiCaprio’s diamond performance.

Child soldiers - Over 200,000 still exist in Africa. Blood Diamond Diamond miners in Sierra Leone.

Blood Diamond is the latest addition to the recent line of powerful films –The Constant Gardener, An Inconvenient Truth, the Last King of Scotland - that irreversibly shake your values and introduce global issues that make you shudder.

Set in Sierra Leone, the film tells the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a ruthless Zimbabwean ex-mercenary and diamond smuggler, who becomes obsessed with finding an elusive ruby diamond. Danny is aided in his quest by Soloman Bo (Djimon Hounsou), a small-town Mende fisherman, who was ripped away from his family by militants, then forced to mine diamonds in the muddy rivers of Sierra Leone.

Soloman sees a way out when he finds a rare pink diamond and decides to keep it for his family. During a government attack on the mine, Soloman is forced to bury his rich secret to prevent it ending up in the wrong hands. The story begins when Danny overhears Soloman arguing with a mine guard about the hidden diamond – the diamond he wants for himself.

Within the first 15 minutes, the film paints a landscape ravaged by war. No Hollywood glitz or glamour here, just child soldiers, murder, rape and complete lack of respect for human life – it leaves you feeling angry and numb.

Blood Diamond isn’t a true story but the issues are very real indeed. The movie links the root of Sierra Leone’s problem to the trade of diamonds - a market that is driven by the world’s obsession with these expensive shiny stones.

Being a male, I’m not usually a big fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, but his performance in Blood Diamond is so good that I’m still wondering whether the film was real or not.

Illegal arms deals, child soldiers, refugee camps, human rights - one issue after another come rolling at you like a series of punches. At the end of the film I felt ready to jump up and try and do something about it.

The good news is we all can. Blood Diamond reminds us that it is up to the consumer to insist that a diamond is conflict-free. Although Sierra Leone is now at peace and 40 nations have signed the ‘Kimberly Process’ to stem the flow of conflict diamonds, there are still some 200,000 child soldiers in Africa. Find out how you can help.

Like An Inconvenient Truth this is another must see film.