Blood Diamond (2006)

Blood Diamond is a 2006 German-American political war film co-produced and directed by Edward Zwick, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou in the lead roles, while Indian television actor Gaurav Chopra also stars in a brief role. The title refers to blood diamonds, which are diamonds mined in war zones and sold to finance conflicts, and thereby profit warlords and diamond companies across the world.

Plot
The story follows Archer, a man tortured by his roots as a smuggler. With a strong survival instinct, he has made himself a key player in the business of conflict diamonds. Political unrest is rampant in Sierra Leone as people fight tooth for tooth. Upon meeting a lowly fisherman named Solomon, and the beautiful Maddy, Archer's life changes forever as he is given a chance to make peace with the war around him.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Although it was not filmed in Sierra Leone, it captures the reality of the country to a remarkable degree.
 * 2) There is a great deal of violence in this movie, but that violence is organic, realistic, fitting to what happened there. They even manage to convey the fact that the people are as astonished by said violence.
 * 3) The movie tells the facts about conflict diamonds quickly and accurately.
 * 4) Leonardo DiCaprio's performance is impressive, and certainly the best personality-wise; he is totally believable as a white African smuggler.
 * 5) Jennifer Connelly's role is much smaller but she makes the most of it. Djiman Housou has enormous physical presence as the brave Mende fisherman.
 * 6) A extremely tense and emotional ending that completely changes Leonardo DiCaprio's character in a dramatic way.
 * 7) This fine work, along with Hotel Rwanda, stands out as a film seriously attempting to explain the atrocities that Africans somehow can do to themselves.
 * 8) An amazing soundtrack by James Newton Howard.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Some minor pacing issues.
 * 2) Anachronisms: The film is set in 1999 but features cars and clothes from 2006, while in the climax, Danny uses a GPS from 2004.

Trivia

 * The film's cast includes two Oscar winners: Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly; and one Oscar nominee: Djimon Hounsou