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"Blood Diamond" simply isn't one of the ten best films of the year, no matter what anyone involved in the BFCA will try to tell you. It's a film with a heavy heart and an even heavier hand that fails to rise above the level of smarter-than-average popcorn fare. I enjoyed Ed Zwick's "The Last Samurai," I did, but "Blood Diamond" hits only a handful of high notes on its way out of Africa, so to speak.
The biggest problem with the film is the overt saturation of politics that overrides any true establishment of character. All of us know that Africa isn't in great shape now. We know this, Ed. So, the film shows us child soldiers and random, brutal killings in order to provoke strong emotions from the viewer. Like most other thematic melodramas, sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. I just wish the film didn't have to rely on such tactics.
The strongest aspect of the film is some fine acting by its three leads. DiCaprio, Connelly, and Hounsou all make the film better in their own ways, and its characters bolder than they stand on paper. DiCaprio, in particular, has astounded me this year. He follows his masterful turn in "The Departed" with one worthy of praise in this film. Hounsou does a lot of scenery-chewing, but his best moments come when he isn't in barking mode. The two do make a fine onscreen team -- along with Connelly's endless greens, naturally.
"Blood Diamond" is worthy of its place as a political genre thriller. It doesn't reach the heights of "City of God" or "The Constant Gardener", two similar films, but the film isn't the worst entry into the subgenre. It never ceases to dazzle in its intense action sequences, admirable cinematography, or aforementioned acting. I respect the film socially and politically -- but as cinema, it's nothing too special.
posted by Shawn Snead @ 12/29/2006 11:21:00 PM
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