Blood Diamond (2006)
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The story
In 1999, the country of Sierra Leone is ravaged by a civil war where the Revolutionary United Front seizes control of the land to mine diamonds to fund their military efforts. Solomon Vandy, a local fisherman, is forced into a labor camp and discovers a massive pink diamond. After being captured and later freed by a gunrunner named Danny Archer, the two men must navigate a dangerous journey through the conflict zone. They are joined by an American journalist, Maddy Bowen, as they attempt to reach a safe location while evading both government forces and rebel factions seeking the valuable stone.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1999, during the Sierra Leone Civil War, fisherman Solomon Vandy discovers a massive pink diamond while working for a ruthless warlord, Captain Poison. He is captured and imprisoned in Freetown alongside Danny Archer, a gunrunner seeking the stone for a mining executive. Archer frees Vandy, and the two begin a perilous journey to reach Kono. They are joined by American journalist Maddy Bowen. Along the way, Vandy's son, Dia, is captured and becomes a child soldier. The group eventually reaches Kono, where a military operation is underway. While Maddy escapes with her story, Vandy and Archer infiltrate the rebel camp. Vandy finds and kills Captain Poison, and Archer eventually kills Colonel Coetzee after the latter tries to seize the diamond. In the aftermath, Archer is mortally wounded and entrusts the diamond to Vandy. Vandy eventually sells the diamond in London, reunites with his family, and speaks at a conference on 'blood diamonds' in South Africa.
- First release year
- 2006
- Runtime (minutes)
- 143
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Edward Zwick
- Writers
- Charles Leavitt · screenplay; Charles Leavitt · story; C. Gaby Mitchell · story
- Cast and characters
- Leonardo DiCaprio · Danny Archer; Jennifer Connelly · Maddy Bowen; Djimon Hounsou · Solomon Vandy; Michael Sheen · Colonel Coetzee; Arnold Vosloo · Captain Poison
- Genres
- war drama; action drama; action thriller
- Themes
- war; conflict diamonds; child soldiers; greed
- Tone and mood
- gritty; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- action; thriller; adventure; political
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original screenplay by Charles Leavitt.
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, particularly praising the performances of the lead actors.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 64% · scale: percentage · review count: 214; Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 39
- Awards and nominations
- Oscar · Best Actor · Nomination; Oscar · Best Supporting Actor · Nomination; Screen Actors Guild Awards · Outstanding Male Actor in a Leading Role · Nomination; Screen Actors Guild Awards · Outstanding Male Actor in a Supporting Role · Nomination; Classic Brit Awards · Soundtrack of the Year · 2008 · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled Okavango.; David Hasselhoff was offered the lead role but turned it down.; The film's ending refers to a real-life meeting in 2000 regarding the Kimberley Process.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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