The movie Blood Diamond gives us an interesting insight into the world of illegal diamond smuggleing and brings to light some of the reasons why diamonds are so expensive and saught after here in the United States and around the world. Though Leonardo DiCaprio is the headliner, Djimon Hounsou has an equal amount of screen time and gives just a good, if not a better performance in the film. Jennifer Connely rounds out the performers that create an interesting depiction of the diamond trade in Africa.
The movie starts out in the year 1999 in Siera Lione in a small hut where Solomon Vandy (Hounsou) is waking his son so that he can start his 5k walk to school. Along the way, Solomon conveys his wishes of his son becoming a doctor. Not too long after this heart felt sentiment is exchanged, the movie's pace shifts into over drive has the two are chased by a ban of rebels. After the two are over run by them, Solomon runs back to his village to save his wife and two other children, but to no avail. Solomon is captured by the rebels while his wife, son and two daughters escape and become refugees.
The next few scence are used to depict how the rebels are involved in escavating the diamonds. They enslave the people that they capture and force them to mine for diamonds. If one of the slaves are found to try and steal a diamond, they are killed on the spot. Solomon is placed in a conundrum when he finds an awfully large diamond. Taking his chances, he tries to bury the diamond for later and to his surprise is caught by his slave master. Before the slave master is able to steal the diamond away from Solomon and kill him, the slave camp is over run by the local African government, saving Solomon's life and giving him enogh time to hide the diamond. The local government detains all who are caught in rebel camps because they are unsure of who is truley a rebel and who is not.
Here enters DiCaprio's character, Danny Archer, a white-African diamond smuggler, born in neighboring Rodesia (a county now and then called Zimbabwe). We soon find that Danny is unabashed at using his whiteness as ploy to smuggle diamonds. It does not help when he is stopped crossing the border by the local African government and thrown into jail.
And jail is where the two meet.
Danny over hears that Solomon has found a 'pink' diamond and makes it a goal of his to help Solomon get out of jail in hopes that he will help Danny find this 'pink'.
To set up the ending of the film, the story cuts away to the psedo World Trade Organization meeting, where efforts are being enforced to curtail the selling of diamonds from areas that are in civil unrest due to the selling of the stones in question. In an false effort of heartfulness, Van de Kaapp, the world's largest sellers of diamonds appear at this meeting and make a vow to abrupty stop its purchasing of diamonds from "conflict" zones.
Once out of jail Danny tries to connect with Solomon and eventually makes a wager with Solomon. Danny pledges to use his savoire faire in Africa to help Sloloman find his family if Solomon helps Danny find the diamond that he had buried before his incarceration. While on this quest to find Soloman's family, Danny sequestures the help of a journalist, Maddy Bowan (Connelly) and makes a deal with her to give her the story of his connections with Van de Kapp if she helps ehm to find Solomon's family.
So as not to spoil the story, the rest of the movie takes you on a world wind journey deep into the forest trying to find the diamond and Solomon's family while being chased and accousted by African rebels.
The movie starts out in the year 1999 in Siera Lione in a small hut where Solomon Vandy (Hounsou) is waking his son so that he can start his 5k walk to school. Along the way, Solomon conveys his wishes of his son becoming a doctor. Not too long after this heart felt sentiment is exchanged, the movie's pace shifts into over drive has the two are chased by a ban of rebels. After the two are over run by them, Solomon runs back to his village to save his wife and two other children, but to no avail. Solomon is captured by the rebels while his wife, son and two daughters escape and become refugees.
The next few scence are used to depict how the rebels are involved in escavating the diamonds. They enslave the people that they capture and force them to mine for diamonds. If one of the slaves are found to try and steal a diamond, they are killed on the spot. Solomon is placed in a conundrum when he finds an awfully large diamond. Taking his chances, he tries to bury the diamond for later and to his surprise is caught by his slave master. Before the slave master is able to steal the diamond away from Solomon and kill him, the slave camp is over run by the local African government, saving Solomon's life and giving him enogh time to hide the diamond. The local government detains all who are caught in rebel camps because they are unsure of who is truley a rebel and who is not.
Here enters DiCaprio's character, Danny Archer, a white-African diamond smuggler, born in neighboring Rodesia (a county now and then called Zimbabwe). We soon find that Danny is unabashed at using his whiteness as ploy to smuggle diamonds. It does not help when he is stopped crossing the border by the local African government and thrown into jail.And jail is where the two meet.
Danny over hears that Solomon has found a 'pink' diamond and makes it a goal of his to help Solomon get out of jail in hopes that he will help Danny find this 'pink'.
To set up the ending of the film, the story cuts away to the psedo World Trade Organization meeting, where efforts are being enforced to curtail the selling of diamonds from areas that are in civil unrest due to the selling of the stones in question. In an false effort of heartfulness, Van de Kaapp, the world's largest sellers of diamonds appear at this meeting and make a vow to abrupty stop its purchasing of diamonds from "conflict" zones.
Once out of jail Danny tries to connect with Solomon and eventually makes a wager with Solomon. Danny pledges to use his savoire faire in Africa to help Sloloman find his family if Solomon helps Danny find the diamond that he had buried before his incarceration. While on this quest to find Soloman's family, Danny sequestures the help of a journalist, Maddy Bowan (Connelly) and makes a deal with her to give her the story of his connections with Van de Kapp if she helps ehm to find Solomon's family.
So as not to spoil the story, the rest of the movie takes you on a world wind journey deep into the forest trying to find the diamond and Solomon's family while being chased and accousted by African rebels.
This is definitley a must see!
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