Blood Diamonds

I have read so many Wilbur Smith books that to miss watching Blood Diamonds would be criminal.Blood Diamonds has oscar written all over it.It is an undistorted portrayal of the senseless violence which grips most African countries.The story is about the trade in conflict zone diamonds mined in Sierra Leone. Leonardo Caprio is a diamond smuggler, DannyArcher who comes across this fisher man Solomon Vandy, who in turn is in search of his lost family.Solomon Vandy knows the location of a monstrous diamond buried deep in jungle and hence begins a hunt of epic propotions.The luscious Jenifer Connelly is an American journalist out to cover the war but unfortunately she does not have much of a role.

Leonardo stands out from the rest and plays his role with conviction.I think he made a perfect fit for the role.It needed someone who could be devilish but still endearing and he played that role with aplomb,whether it was in flirting with JC or scaring the living daylights out of Solomon Vandy

The violent scenes were shot very well and managed to capture the fear and chaos created by militiamen realistically. And unlike most war movies the protagonist didnt have any have any wife or girlfriend waiting for him back home and so it spares us the misery of slow motion dollops of mush.

Hmm.. sad that such a wonderful land still is torn apart by conflict.An alien watching from out there in the galaxy, would be puzzled over our struggles for a piece of rock that looks like glass..