I've only just seen it at the cinema, has anyone else been to see it? I thought it was the best film I've seen in a long while. Everything about it is done in quite a good way.
Blood Diamond
I've never even heard of that... lol 
Blood Diamond tackles several, seemingly irresolvable problems common to modern-day Africa: conflict diamonds, civil war, violence, refugees, and child soldiers. Of course, Blood Diamond isn’t a straight-up “social message” drama, but an action/thriller. As such, the film is heavy on the action clichés and light on the historical context necessary to understand Africa’s problems and the solutions necessary to solve them.
Without giving too much away, Blood Diamond would have been a better, more emotionally satisfying film without the second feel-good ending (yes, the movie has two endings, one for each major character, Archer and Solomon). As befitting a character played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Archer’s storyline takes a while to unfold, as Archer’s crisis of conscience pulls him in opposite directions until the last possible moment. Solomon’s storyline ends on a more upbeat, feel-good note. Then too there’s the romantic storyline involving Archer and Maddy. Besides being less than credible, it’s perfunctory at best and exposition-clumsy at worst.
Not surprisingly, Blood Diamond is Leonardo DiCaprio’s film from practically the first scene through the last. As the protagonist, DiCaprio’s character changes the most, from a self-centered, egotistical anti-hero to selfless, self-sacrificing hero. As predictably redemptive as Archer’s arc may be, it gives DiCaprio the opportunity to show a dynamic acting range, which he does convincingly (less so for the on-again, off-again South African accent, though). As the second lead, Djimon Hounsou has a shorter emotional arc, but he’s nonetheless impressive, especially in the later scenes after he discovers the fate of his family. Jennifer Connelly, however, seems lost, but that’s less due to her performance than to an underwritten, superfluous, role.
Without giving too much away, Blood Diamond would have been a better, more emotionally satisfying film without the second feel-good ending (yes, the movie has two endings, one for each major character, Archer and Solomon). As befitting a character played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Archer’s storyline takes a while to unfold, as Archer’s crisis of conscience pulls him in opposite directions until the last possible moment. Solomon’s storyline ends on a more upbeat, feel-good note. Then too there’s the romantic storyline involving Archer and Maddy. Besides being less than credible, it’s perfunctory at best and exposition-clumsy at worst.
Not surprisingly, Blood Diamond is Leonardo DiCaprio’s film from practically the first scene through the last. As the protagonist, DiCaprio’s character changes the most, from a self-centered, egotistical anti-hero to selfless, self-sacrificing hero. As predictably redemptive as Archer’s arc may be, it gives DiCaprio the opportunity to show a dynamic acting range, which he does convincingly (less so for the on-again, off-again South African accent, though). As the second lead, Djimon Hounsou has a shorter emotional arc, but he’s nonetheless impressive, especially in the later scenes after he discovers the fate of his family. Jennifer Connelly, however, seems lost, but that’s less due to her performance than to an underwritten, superfluous, role.
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