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sunzz · 29-01-2007, 05:08

Having watched this today and not expecting much as I've honestly (could be just me) not heard a lot about it I was frankly, blown away.

The Plot
Spoiler: A farmer, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond

Djimon Hounsou was just FANTASTIC, he utterly stole the show for me, his character just drew me in and it was like an emotional roller-coaster from the get go. Since his performance in this he's been highly tipped to walk away with the Oscar for best supporting actor and to be honest I can't think of a film in which another actor has outdone him in the category.

Leonardo DiCaprio's character was also very enjoyable to watch, he's also been nominated for an Oscar with this movie, I was not as mesmerized with his performance as I was that with Hounsou's but overall I think he played the character rather well. I will admit having not been a fan of leo's for quite some time now this coupled with the departed has made it a good year for him and he is growing on me.

This film whilst not as politically orientated as I thought still covers it aptly however, I would have liked to have seen more of that side play out as we ventured through the movie, All i can say is it's a wonderful movie and one which takes you on a journey with the two main characters, (not so much connelly) The ending i thought could have been shortened but all in all not much I could give out about.

Go see it. 9/10 for me.

spacecoyote · 29-01-2007, 08:28

Whereas I did find it to be an enjoyable movie, i would not say that it was fantastic. I was hoping for a little more politics from it tbh, theres a little too much emphasis on an overly hollywood cliched stoyline. It could have been a very explosive story, and whereas there are some very harrowing & disturbing scenes, the movie just didn't live up to my expectations 6-7/10

m-a-i- · 29-01-2007, 08:40

I wasn't too sure what the story line was to be honest but after seeing it i was amazed. i am a meber of the amnesty society in college and international and i would love for the group to get more involved in trying to improve the situation. i was blown away by the chracter solomon vandy he was just amazing. i would recommend it to everyone

Rabies · 29-01-2007, 10:07

Watched this a week or so ago. Enjoyed it. Think 9/10 is a little high. Maybe 7 or 8. One I will watch again on dvd.

DiCaprio was pretty good in the movie, managed to pull of the accent in my opinion. Think he has finally grown up as an actor, I can bear to watch him in a movie now.

Hounsou, was very good. Played a tough part exteremly well.

I would have prefered if the movie ended Spoiler: when Hounsou's character got on the plane on the mountain top.

Decent movie, worth watching

edit:
thanks djkeogh

djkeogh · 29-01-2007, 10:58

Best fix those spoiler tags.

I saw this over the weekend and I really enjoyed it. I had been looking forward to it for the last few months in fairness and I was not disappointed by it. I agree with some of the previous posters that it would have been nice to get a bit more into the political side. Having said that the only character with any ploitical motivations is Jennifer Connely and she is not in it as much as I thought she would be. I'd highly recommend the film. Nothing ground breaking but the performances are excellent and the story is enjoyable and never boring.

*Ghost Train* · 29-01-2007, 12:18

Kind of agree with Rabies about the ending

Was a bit disappointed with how the movie went a bit overboard with the action scenes, made it a lot less believable for me.

Other than that thought the film was good, just about gets a 7 from me

1huge1 · 29-01-2007, 21:25

seen it on saturday
didnt expect much (was desperate so just went with the movie by its billboard which usually ends up bad) but it turned out to be absolutly brilliant

really enjoyed it

Petey2006 · 30-01-2007, 00:03

Hmmm.... well, what to make of Blood Diamond? Well, I was expecting the usual Ed Zwick blend of average action and over the top melodrama, and in that respect I wasn't disappointed. Excellent performance from Honsou, not bad from DiCaprio, ineffectual from Jennifer Connelly. Overall, nothing special. 6-10 at very best.

*Simone* · 31-01-2007, 21:01

I really enjoyed it, and didnt notice at all that it was nearly 3hrs long! Thought DiCaprio's performance in The Departed was more worthy for a nomination, but he was good in this none the less. Hadnt a CLUE what accent he was tryna pull off for a while til he said where he was from! Id definetly recommend it, and it'd make you think differently about flaunting your 'rocks' around huh?

TerrorFirmer · 03-02-2007, 00:46

Excellent film, one of the best I've seen in a long time. Some shocking scenes, and Djimon Hounsou gave a truly Oscar winning performance if I've ever seen one.

Binomate · 03-02-2007, 19:51

Very good film. I think the savagery of the conflicts in Africa were definatly captured very well in the film. I think people trying to raise awarness of these things, like Bob Geldof should invest money in films like these to raise awareness. I personally believe that this film and films like these (Hotel Rwanda for example) have helped me become less ignorant of some of the attrocities that have happened in Africa and around the world, and of some of the attrocities that still happen today. I think unless you see it portrayed the way it was in this film, the message wont get through.

I thought the acting in the film was excellent. Some of the scenes in the film brought an feeling of absolute missery. One think that bothered me was the choice of song to play on the credits. It really didn't match the mood of the film at all.

***Gordon*** · 04-02-2007, 15:20

Good film but that ending, for me, completely undermined the whole message that they were trying to convey. Would have preferred the Rabies ending too.

dodgey69 · 09-02-2007, 11:04

the film should have jsut ended 10 min before it did without going into the hollywood ending.

apart from that i thought it was a very good film. 8/10

paddycorry · 09-02-2007, 13:47

(Posted this in the reviews thread, obviously didn't look too hard on this one!) After seeing the Blood Diamond trailer, I wasn't sure if this would just be a bland, by-the-numbers actioner featuring a couple of The Beautiful People as eye candy amdist some explosions and stuff.

That description couldn't be further from the truth. Similar in theme to Last King of Scotland, (African political struggles) it differs primarily by not sheltering the audience from the horror of the struggle at ground level, the level of African families. Djimon Hounsou is excellent as Solomon, the man who finds the diamond referred to in the title. DiCaprio deserves his oscar nomination as the grizzled Zimbabwean ex-soldier, apparently cynical to the troubles of Sierra Leone, where the movie is set. And Jennifer Connelly, well, she's very watchable altogether.

The action is great, the story works as a simple yarn, but the characters are also symbols for Africa and it's relationship with the rest of the world. Well worth a look and I'd give it 8/10.

Full review here. (Warning: possible spoilers)

29-01-2007, 05:08	#1
sunzz Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 954 Adverts \| Friends	Blood Diamond Having watched this today and not expecting much as I've honestly (could be just me) not heard a lot about it I was frankly, blown away. The Plot Spoiler: A farmer, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond Djimon Hounsou was just FANTASTIC, he utterly stole the show for me, his character just drew me in and it was like an emotional roller-coaster from the get go. Since his performance in this he's been highly tipped to walk away with the Oscar for best supporting actor and to be honest I can't think of a film in which another actor has outdone him in the category. Leonardo DiCaprio's character was also very enjoyable to watch, he's also been nominated for an Oscar with this movie, I was not as mesmerized with his performance as I was that with Hounsou's but overall I think he played the character rather well. I will admit having not been a fan of leo's for quite some time now this coupled with the departed has made it a good year for him and he is growing on me. This film whilst not as politically orientated as I thought still covers it aptly however, I would have liked to have seen more of that side play out as we ventured through the movie, All i can say is it's a wonderful movie and one which takes you on a journey with the two main characters, (not so much connelly) The ending i thought could have been shortened but all in all not much I could give out about. Go see it. 9/10 for me.

29-01-2007, 10:07	#4
Rabies Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 14,332 Adverts \| Friends	Watched this a week or so ago. Enjoyed it. Think 9/10 is a little high. Maybe 7 or 8. One I will watch again on dvd. DiCaprio was pretty good in the movie, managed to pull of the accent in my opinion. Think he has finally grown up as an actor, I can bear to watch him in a movie now. Hounsou, was very good. Played a tough part exteremly well. I would have prefered if the movie ended Spoiler: when Hounsou's character got on the plane on the mountain top. Decent movie, worth watching edit: thanks djkeogh Last edited by Rabies; 29-01-2007 at 11:01.

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29-01-2007, 08:28	#2
spacecoyote Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Wishing I was on a golf course Posts: 1,552 Adverts \| Friends	Whereas I did find it to be an enjoyable movie, i would not say that it was fantastic. I was hoping for a little more politics from it tbh, theres a little too much emphasis on an overly hollywood cliched stoyline. It could have been a very explosive story, and whereas there are some very harrowing & disturbing scenes, the movie just didn't live up to my expectations 6-7/10

29-01-2007, 08:40	#3
m-a-i- Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kildare Posts: 85 Adverts \| Friends	I wasn't too sure what the story line was to be honest but after seeing it i was amazed. i am a meber of the amnesty society in college and international and i would love for the group to get more involved in trying to improve the situation. i was blown away by the chracter solomon vandy he was just amazing. i would recommend it to everyone

29-01-2007, 10:58	#5
djkeogh Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Dublin 12 Posts: 1,525 Adverts \| Friends	Best fix those spoiler tags. I saw this over the weekend and I really enjoyed it. I had been looking forward to it for the last few months in fairness and I was not disappointed by it. I agree with some of the previous posters that it would have been nice to get a bit more into the political side. Having said that the only character with any ploitical motivations is Jennifer Connely and she is not in it as much as I thought she would be. I'd highly recommend the film. Nothing ground breaking but the performances are excellent and the story is enjoyable and never boring.

29-01-2007, 12:18	#6
Ghost Train Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cork Posts: 24,387 Adverts \| Friends	Kind of agree with Rabies about the ending Was a bit disappointed with how the movie went a bit overboard with the action scenes, made it a lot less believable for me. Other than that thought the film was good, just about gets a 7 from me

29-01-2007, 21:25	#7
1huge1 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Limerick, Ireland Posts: 5,192 Adverts \| Friends	seen it on saturday didnt expect much (was desperate so just went with the movie by its billboard which usually ends up bad) but it turned out to be absolutly brilliant really enjoyed it

30-01-2007, 00:03	#8
Petey2006 Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 413 Adverts \| Friends	Hmmm.... well, what to make of Blood Diamond? Well, I was expecting the usual Ed Zwick blend of average action and over the top melodrama, and in that respect I wasn't disappointed. Excellent performance from Honsou, not bad from DiCaprio, ineffectual from Jennifer Connelly. Overall, nothing special. 6-10 at very best.

31-01-2007, 21:01	#9
Simone Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dubh Linn Posts: 140 Adverts \| Friends	I really enjoyed it, and didnt notice at all that it was nearly 3hrs long! Thought DiCaprio's performance in The Departed was more worthy for a nomination, but he was good in this none the less. Hadnt a CLUE what accent he was tryna pull off for a while til he said where he was from! Id definetly recommend it, and it'd make you think differently about flaunting your 'rocks' around huh?

03-02-2007, 00:46	#10
TerrorFirmer Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Galway Posts: 18,729 Adverts \| Friends	Excellent film, one of the best I've seen in a long time. Some shocking scenes, and Djimon Hounsou gave a truly Oscar winning performance if I've ever seen one.

03-02-2007, 19:51	#11
Binomate Banned Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Dublin Posts: 3,600 Adverts \| Friends	Very good film. I think the savagery of the conflicts in Africa were definatly captured very well in the film. I think people trying to raise awarness of these things, like Bob Geldof should invest money in films like these to raise awareness. I personally believe that this film and films like these (Hotel Rwanda for example) have helped me become less ignorant of some of the attrocities that have happened in Africa and around the world, and of some of the attrocities that still happen today. I think unless you see it portrayed the way it was in this film, the message wont get through. I thought the acting in the film was excellent. Some of the scenes in the film brought an feeling of absolute missery. One think that bothered me was the choice of song to play on the credits. It really didn't match the mood of the film at all.

04-02-2007, 15:20	#12
*Gordon* Administrator Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 27,503 Adverts \| Friends Admin: Prison	Good film but that ending, for me, completely undermined the whole message that they were trying to convey. Would have preferred the Rabies ending too.

09-02-2007, 11:04	#13
dodgey69 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 147 Adverts \| Friends	the film should have jsut ended 10 min before it did without going into the hollywood ending. apart from that i thought it was a very good film. 8/10

09-02-2007, 13:47	#14
paddycorry Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 66 Adverts \| Friends	(Posted this in the reviews thread, obviously didn't look too hard on this one!) After seeing the Blood Diamond trailer, I wasn't sure if this would just be a bland, by-the-numbers actioner featuring a couple of The Beautiful People as eye candy amdist some explosions and stuff. That description couldn't be further from the truth. Similar in theme to Last King of Scotland, (African political struggles) it differs primarily by not sheltering the audience from the horror of the struggle at ground level, the level of African families. Djimon Hounsou is excellent as Solomon, the man who finds the diamond referred to in the title. DiCaprio deserves his oscar nomination as the grizzled Zimbabwean ex-soldier, apparently cynical to the troubles of Sierra Leone, where the movie is set. And Jennifer Connelly, well, she's very watchable altogether. The action is great, the story works as a simple yarn, but the characters are also symbols for Africa and it's relationship with the rest of the world. Well worth a look and I'd give it 8/10. Full review here. (Warning: possible spoilers)