Blood Diamond
Leonardo DiCaprio/Jennifer Connelly/Djimon Hounsou/143 minutes
Sierra Leone has the misfortune to be blessed with diamonds. Mismanagement of this precious resource was one of the key factors which led to the outbreak of a devastating civil war in 1991 annd that ended only in 2002.
Against this seething backdrop, director Edward Zwick (The Last Samurai) tells the tale of a diamond smuggler (DiCaprio), a father trying to get his family back together again (Hounsou), and the stone that promises to be their ticket out.
Though heavy-handed at times, this drama with a conscience is anchored by strong performances by the roguishly charismatic DiCaprio and the magnetic Hounsou.
The two-disc special edition dvd includes behind-the-scenes featurettes. The director’s commentary track dishes out tidbits such as the fact that DiCaprio added colour to his lines by throwing in local slang.
The real gem, though, is the documentary Blood On The Stone, which takes stock of the Kimberly Process, set up to prevent the trade in conflict diamonds.
Tracing the journey of illegal stones all the way to New York, it reveals rampant corruption in Sierra Leon and the chilling recollections of a former Revolutionary United Front child soldier.
(ST)