Blood Diamond
2006
An ex-mercenary turned smuggler (Leonardo DiCaprio). A Mende fisherman (Djimon Hounsoue). Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman's son conscripted as a child soldier into the brutal rebel .. Read more
| Starring | Basil Wallace, Jennifer Connelly, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Sheen |
|---|---|
| Director | Edward Zwick |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama, Thriller |
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Blood Diamond
An ex-mercenary turned smuggler (Leonardo DiCaprio). A Mende fisherman (Djimon Hounsoue). Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman's son conscripted as a child soldier into the brutal rebel forces ripping a swathe of torture and bloodshed across the alternatively beautiful and ravaged countryside. Directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, The Last Samurai), this urgent, intensely moving adventure shapes gripping human stories and heart-pounding action into a modern epic of profound impact.
| Starring | Basil Wallace, Jennifer Connelly, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Sheen, Jimi Mistry, Djimon Hounsou |
|---|---|
| Director | Edward Zwick |
| Studio | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 18 mins Blu-ray: 2 hrs 18 mins HD DVD: 2 hrs 18 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English Blu-ray: English HD DVD: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: English, Arabic, Hebrew, Icelandic, Italian HD DVD: English, French, Spanish |
| Released | DVD: 18 Jun 2007 Blu-ray: 18 Jun 2007 HD DVD: 09 Jul 2007 Production year: 2006 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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It is clear that the film-makers have done an enormous amount of research on their subject... Individual sequences--such as the massacre that opens the movie--are staged in bravura but chilling fashion
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Crammed full of exhilarating set-pieces and panoramic photography, it also included the DiCaprio role most likely to snag Best Actor...
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Most helpful member's review
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112 out of 128 people found this review helpful
Most Over-Rated Film of the Year
So many gushing reviews, such an important subject, and what a godawful movie.
As others have remarked, Leo - whatever his acting skill, and whatever the accent - is completely miscast as a battle-hardened African mercenary. And Jennifer Connelly is every bit as unconvincing and out of place playing a tough magazine journalist.
The script is pure Hollywood. We've seen the structure a thousand times before. When Leo portentously says, 'This is Eff-rica,' early in the film, we all know we're going to hear that line again. And when Arnold Vosloo scoops up a handful of dirt and waxes poetic, you can hear the pay-off coming even with the sound turned down.
And this film is looooonng. When Leo and the Noble Savage start their journey into the heart of Sierra Leone, it feels like it's being shot in real time.
There are some positives. The big-buget pyrotechnics are cool (Hollywood does that sh*t well). And David Harewood leaves nothing behind as the psycho rebel leader.
But however worthy the subject matter, this a predictable and over-praised piece of Tinseltown pap. -
Most recent members' review
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13 out of 18 people found this review helpful
Dressed up cheesy Hollywood cliched
This is cheesy Hollywood cliché at its worst.
A brave African goes to find his son. Of course with the assistance of a fit white American journalist (love interest just in case we lose interest in the dying/ suffering Sierra Leonean people) and a mercenary who talks tough but really isn’t that bad and in the end is willing to sacrifice himself for everybody else like a brave space marine in an Aliens film or, hang, almost exactly like that bloke in f*cking Titanic – oh sh*t that is actually him again except he’s holding up African children to stop them drowning rather than that annoying bird.
What annoys me so much about this film is that it masquerades as something it’s not, exploiting real conflict, to essentially make an action movie. But even on the action level it’s not even honest about what kind of action movie it is, telling you its not going to give you all the clichés and then doing exactly that.
Frankly if I want action I’d rather watch Bond or rent 300, rather than feel the love with this cheesy bag of sh*te. You might say at least it raises awareness. Maybe. Or maybe blood diamonds are just in this month because of that Kanye West song. -
News and features
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Blood Diamond: David Harewood interview
- 17 Jul 2007
We caught up with actor David Harewood, to talk about his role in Oscar-nominated drama Blood Diamond. LOVEFiLM: How did you get involved in the production? David Harewood: Well, I auditioned for Edward Zwick [the director] in London, he didn't tell me then that he has seen me on stage at the National Theatre, and had requested me. The part of Captain Poison was originally supposed to be a boy solider, but they couldn't find anyone with the weight they needed, and as the script kept changing,... Read more
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Blood Diamond - HD DVD Version
Set in Sierra Leone, BLOOD DIAMOND explores the role of diamond trading in the African civil war of the late 1990s. Narrowly escaping death when his village is invaded by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) militia, fisherman Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) is enslaved at a diamond mine and has his ...
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- Blood Diamond - BLU-RAY Version
- Blu-Ray: £10.53
Free Delivery - RRP £24.49 (you save: 57%)
Set in Sierra Leone, BLOOD DIAMOND explores the role of diamond trading in the African civil war of the late 1990s. Narrowly escaping death when his village is invaded by Revolutionary United Front (... -
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- Blood Diamond
- DVD: £3.93
Free Delivery - RRP £7.99 (you save: 51%)
An ex-mercenary turned smuggler (Leonardo DiCaprio). A Mende fisherman (Djimon Hounsoue). Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: ... -