I've always thought De Caprio is a good actor, but he can't pull off an accent (coming from a South African)! I would think "Lord Of War" is a similar film to Blood Diamond
Quincy
Tell us your thoughts on the movie.
Blood Diamond (do not read ahead if you haven't seen it)-
I cant help but think Hollywood's little flirt with African stories could only be a bad thing. I cant' claim to know much of the diamond industry in Africa, nevertheless, many things covered by the film are probably true. The diamond industry is fueling civil unrest, the enslavement scences are by and large accurate, nevermind Darfur.
All along I couldn't figure out what Jennifer Connelly's character was bringing to the film. The white American reporter with a bleeding heart telling the white South African male why he is so wrong. On a very personal note, I am sick of outsiders pointing fingers and generalising about South Africans, so DiCaprio's character was somewhat irritating to me, exploiting the blacks to get rich and blow the hell-hole Africa, as his character puts it. But his performance is still very good and doesn't detract from the story. The redeeming feature is he keeps his promise with Vandy (Djimon Hounsou's character), but of course, Hollywood justice- he dies in the end.
The child soldiers- Vandy's son disowning him and even threatening to kill him; his wife and children enslaved, the bloodshed and war, it's all quite true and so the movie must be commended on this front. It shows how all people want the same things, we all care for our families and want the best for them, but these people are forced in this conditions. Greed, corruption, common human values- all great qualities of the film. Some say it is too violent, perhaps the harsh reality is too much for the Westerner.
A very strong message, and a great film imo, rating: 8.5/10.
Criticism: nothing at all to do with the film, but such films like this never change the status quo, which is sad, but also not the film's fault
