Blood Diamond

A winning combination of social drama and action/adventure. Bleak scenes of violence are insterspersed with gripping action, which is tempered by intimate dialogue – and this pattern is repeated over and over again, which unfortunately makes Blood Diamond seem drawn-out and repetitive in places. In the end, however, it is still a respectable example of first-rate Hollywood filmmaking, like almost everything else by Edward Zwick. And that is thanks to the beautiful visual aspect, the attractive setting, great actors and a lot of very powerful scenes, especially the last one. (01/22/2007)

Don't be fooled by the long exposition into an important and dangerous topic. What will follow is worth it. Edward Zwick proves that The Last Samurai was no fluke. The harsh scenes of the ruthless R.U.F. group, Djimon Hounsou's breathtaking determination, and the uninterrupted tender love story symbolizing undying hope. On top of that, Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer is a properly angry Rambo, and the scene where he wades through muddy water in the camp amidst explosions and bullet salvos is an unexpected action thriller. Give Blood Diamond a chance, no matter what you think about the subject and genre. And you will feel pain for Africa. (09/12/2007)

Visually refined viewing that is intended to provoke that proverbial chill down your spine. Unfortunately, just showing is no longer enough these days, so no chilled spine. It needs more. The trailers were much better at it (I would even place one of them in my golden trailer fund). Even so, Zwick did a perfect job. It’s been a long time since I saw such wonderfully filmed scenery (locations, landscapes). In terms of acting, hats off to the great Hounsou, the gorgeous Jennifer Connelly and especially to DiCaprio who very pleasantly surprised me. So that’s a solid 4 stars and if Edward Zwick intends to continue in this direction, I’ll make very sure I don’t miss his pictures. (07/04/2007)

Here, the current trends of an indictment of crooked deals with ostentatious goals, preferably set in Africa's own blood-plagued landscape, is blended into a reasonably intelligent spectacle that doesn't have the heavy-handedness of Hotel Rwanda, nor is it as uncompromising as The Constant Gardener. Nonetheless, it is fantastically shot (the run through the streets, or the final purge, are among the action highlights of the year) and still sensitive to the subject matter despite its more mainstream conception, and the acting is also very vital. This relates to more than DiCaprio, from whom it's kind of expected, but from the phenomenal Djimon Hounsou, with whom the viewer shares a plethora of emotions ranging from sadness to laughter to fierce anger. It is he who carries the film and without him, this perfectly polished piece of work would be only half as good. (02/25/2007)

Strangely enough, quite an imaginative backstory and the whole plot of the main line, something you don't see that much nowadays. In addition to that, there is a good acting duo and nice naturalistic shots. For a higher rating, however, it lacked more momentum, twists, or anything that would have grabbed me for more than just average. (02/07/2024)