STORY STUDY - MEDIUM: FILM - “Blood Diamond”

2006 was a great year for actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Two months after the release of the Martin Scorsese film The Departed, Blood Diamond was released, giving DiCaprio an Oscar nomination for Best Actor that year.

Directed by Edward Zwick and written by Charles Leavitt, the film revolves around Danny Archer, a diamond smuggler, and a Mende fisherman, Solomon Vandy. The year is 1999, and there is civil war occurring in Sierra Leone. The government is having trouble fighting back their enemy: The Revolutionary United Front, or R.U.F. The R.U.F. terrorizes the countryside, killing villagers and taking hostage of anyone who can work in harvesting diamonds, which is used to fund their war effort.

Vandy is among who is kidnapped. While he harvests diamonds, he discovers a particularly big one, which he successfully buries before being liberated by the Sierra Leone government.

In prison, he is confronted with the hiding of this diamond by his captor, Captain Poison.

Among the prisoners is Archer, who was arrested by the government after being caught smuggling diamonds. Hearing the argument between Vandy and Captain Poison, Archer takes advantage of the situation, hoping to take the diamond for himself so he can sell it and leave Africa for good. He convinces Vandy that if he can get the diamond, he can help him and his family find solace from the war.

Meanwhile, a liberated Captain Poison takes his revenge on Vandy by locating his son, Dia. He attempts to brainwash him into becoming a child soldier for the R.U.F.

Blood Diamond is just a tense thrill ride, being very suspenseful and very emotional when it needs to be.

Vandy’s love for his son is what drives the “love story” of the film.

Anyone who expected there to be a romance with Archer and the reporter, Maddie Bowen, will be disappointed.

The fictional tale of Archer and Vandy is set against the very real Sierra Leone civil war that occurred in 1991-2002. The film is very harsh in showcasing the atrocities of the R.U.F. Aside from recruiting child soldiers, whom they ruthlessly shoot and kill their victims as the adult counterparts, it portrays them amputating victim’s arms as way to discourage them to vote (or continuing to support) the government.

I picked up the film mainly for DiCaprio. As I said, Blood Diamond and The Departed were both in discussion for him to be nominated for Best Actor for a multitude of awards. In this film, he showcases his ability to speak with a South African (specifically, Rhodesia) accent, which he never breaks.

I knew nothing of Sierra Leone civil war, so when I started watching the film, the first image that struck me was the child soldiers shooting rifles at innocent people. It is not an easy film to watch. However, it just shows how much danger Archer and Vandy has to go through to get what they want. Ultimately, Blood Diamond is about inspiring hope in a harsh reality.