The new Blood Diamond trailer is on the web, and I’ll say right up front I LOVE IT. I’ve been curious about diamond mining and this film for a while now, but haven’t really heard much recently until today. The synopsis looks like this:
Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990’s Sierra Leone, Blood Diamond is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) – a South African mercenary – and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) – a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories as different as any can be, until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives. While in prison for smuggling, Archer learns that Solomon – who was taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields – has found and hidden the extraordinary rough stone. With the help of Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an American journalist whose idealism is tempered by a deepening connection with Archer, the two men embark on a trek through rebel territory, a journey that could save Solomon’s family and give Archer the second chance he thought he would never have.
The cast is stellar. I’ve been singing the high praises of Djimon Hounsou ever since I saw him in Steven Spielberg’s best film Amistad (which most people haven’t even seen). My respect for Leonardo DiCaprio has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years, especially after his performances in Catch Me If You Can and The Aviator. Jennifer Connelly is always solid… and then there is an extra pleasant surprise for me…
One of my absolute favorite character actors, Arnold Vosloo is in the film as well and appears to play one of the bad guys. Vosloo played one of my favorite screen villains “Pik” in a horrible Jean Claude Van Damme movie called Hard Target and has done a bunch of smaller stuff (including being the main villain in Season 4 of “24”). I just love this guy.
Anyway, to see the Blood Diamond trailer you can just go here.
- Acting - /100/10
- Cinematography/Visual Effects - /100/10
- Plot/Screenplay - /100/10
- Setting/Theme - /100/10
- Watchability - /100/10
- Rewatchability - /100/10
User Review
( vote)Warning: Illegal string offset 'Movie' in /home/themov15/public_html/wp-content/plugins/wp-review-pro/includes/functions.php on line 2358
As a director of a NGO very involved with African diamond mining communities I feel the movie Blood Diamonds distorts the reality, with potential damage inflicted on the local communities and jewellers. With now less then 1% of diamonds sold on the world markets constituting “blood” or “conflict” diamonds it is highly unlikely that most diamond buyers will come into possession of such diamonds. In fact jewellers such as American Swiss and http://www.diamondcelebrations.com are actively involved in improving conditions of these mining communities and ensuring they ultimately benefit from the sales of diamonds in the developed world.
As icons of acceptable morality, the movie industry should be careful to not distort reality when so many stand to loose so much.
When it came out Hard Target was notable as one of John Woo’s first Hollywood flicks and was pretty action packed however with the benifit of hindsight and all his subsequent movies (all with the obligatory slo-mo bird? Whats up with that?), I’m with John on this one, its a bit of a stinker.
Incedently isn’t Arnold Vosloo slightly better known for being The Mummy?
I don’t think there has been a film which I have seen Dijmon in it that I haven’t loved or liked. Yes, I’m including his brief alien thug in ‘StarGate’ and his merc in the cheesy but fast paced flick ‘Deep Rising’. But the film many missed out on? “Four Feathers”.
As for Vosloo, I have to strongly disagree with John Campea. I thought ‘Hard Target’ was really good, and Pik is memorable. [“Next time, I’ll cut me a steak”].., although Van Damme had two pictures that were better than “Hard Target”, one of them being “Maximum Risk” directed by Ringo Lam [the other was ‘Nowhere To Run”] but it’s great that Vosloo will be doing something other than the thankless ‘Mummy’ films [directed by…Stephen Sommers who also helmed ‘Deep Rising’! ‘Tis a small, small world, after all!’] …but y’know something? I sort of miss the DTV Darkman films…
anyway…
the trailer?
I love it. Nothing is given away, we got romance, adventure, intrigue, Leo’s buffed Popeye arms [and don’t tell me you didn’t notice] and Jennifer Connelly.
If this picture bombs then those who did not see it live in caves, in the bowels of the earth.
I’m also going to go out on a limb here…okay…maybe it isn’t that far out…
Dijmon gets Oscar/Golden Globe consideration? Leo too? Jennifer?
It’s a sucker bet.
That photo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou looks a lot like Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier in the Defiant Ones.
You cried at a Spielberg movie?
This is a great story and the trailer looks amazing.
As for “Amistad”, it’s the only film that had me loudly sobbing in the theatre before we even made it 30 minutes into the film. Mind you, I was an impressionable teen at the time but wow, is that ever powerful.
Looks like a damn good movie, can’t wait. And it has an awsome cast. So glad Djimon Hounsou is getting more roles of late, he’s such a uniq and awsome actor…
Big Leo fan right here! better believe i’ve been anticipating this one…and with jennifer connely?! talented and beautiful!
It also has the honor of showcasing the worst haircut in cinema history.
Jean-Claude Van-Damme’s cajun mullet.
Somewhere Billy Ray Cyrus was weeping with jealousy.
I didn’t see Amistad but I doubt it’s better than Jurassic Park.
“I dont give a damn who’s down there. Kill them all.”
Vosloo has the “bad guy” down pat, and thank goodness someone else appreciates Hard Target. Underrated gem in my opinion. John Woo’s first american cinematic excursion and still ranks higher than Paycheck or Windtalkers.
This movie has Oscar nominee written. Then again almost everything Dicaprio is in is Oscar material. This sounds really interesting and Vosloo is the the man.