Blood Diamond (DVD)

starring Djimon Hounsou

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 R.U.F. militia, farmer Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) is enslaved at a diamond mine and has his family taken from him. When he discovers an unusually large stone he buries it, knowing it may be his only tool in retrieving his family. Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hired gun who specializes in the sale of so-called "blood diamonds" that are used to finance rebellions and terrorist organizations, and is currently serving time for smuggling. As a bloody civil war rages in Sierra Leone and Archer learns that Vandy has safely hidden the diamond in a place where no one would ever suspect, the pair enlist the aid of disillusioned American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) in recovering the treasure that has the power to save Vandy's family and provide the desperate Archer with a much-needed chance for redemption.  White African diamond smuggler Danny Archer  overhears an angry R.U.F. leader shouting at the farmer over the diamond and gets Vandy out of jail, subsequently bribing him by saying that he will help find Vandy’s family in return for half of the diamond’s worth. Bonded by a common goal, the two men clash over drastically different values, but manage to stick together in pursuit of the prize. Also playing a part is fearless American journalist Maddie Bowen (Jennifer Connolly), whose flirtations with Archer and with a dangerous topic land her in the middle of the bloody action. As the three embark on a dangerous journey filled with close calls, unlikely bonds form which threaten to change Archer’s unfeeling ways. Meanwhile, a plotline following Vandy’s beloved son shows us the horror being done to and by child soldiers at the hands of the so-called freedom fighter rebel forces. Addressing his serious subject with skill, director Edward Zwick (THE LAST SAMURAI) delivers impressive action sequences that feel horrifically real without seeming excessive. The Blood Diamond movie has noble intentions  and stellar performances. To most viewers, Blood Diamond is likely to provide a disturbing and educational look at a world many know little about.

UPC:	00085391117629, Rated : R