"Blood Diamond" (2006) is a movie directed by Edward Zwick that follows a rare red colored diamond from its discovery in an African diamond mine through its eventual purchase by a European diamond company. The film is a scathing indictment of the diamond trade and the high human price that is paid for diamonds that are mined in conflict areas.
The film stars Leonardo DiCapprio as Danny Archer, a diamond smuggler looking for a big score to make him the money he needs to leave Africa for good. When he meets Solomon Vandy, an African diamond miner played by Djimon Hounsou, his conscience is tested against his greed as he tries to aid Vandy in retrieving the diamond and getting it out of Africa.
Along their journey, Archer and Vandy are caught in a bloody civil war that has ensnared Vandy's son and estranged him from his wife. The war is fought for control of the lucrative diamond mines and has reached such a desperate level where child soldiers are enslaved by roaming gangs and used to kill whole villages to keep people in fear and control. Vandy tries desperately to save his son from the gangs while Archer tries to convince him that the rare diamond Vandy found is his key to the boys survival. Vandy and Archer are also helped by a journalist named Maddy Bowan, played by Jennifer Connelly. Bowan helps Vandy locate his estranged family, but also helps Archer see the high price of his quest for the diamond. In the end we are left with the same question that Maddy proposes in the film. Which is more important, precious gems or the lives of families and the fabric of society?
"Blood Diamond" was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Besides the superb performances by DiCapprio and Hounsou, the film was widely praised for its action, story and its message. Since its release, the diamond trade has worked to end buying diamonds that are mined in areas of turmoil in the hopes that when the money is taken from those regions, stability will be restored.
