Blood Diamond

Pictures taken from:http://sg.movies.yahoo.com/Blood+Diamond/movie/13778/photos/

THE STORY:
Set against the backdrop of the chaos and civil war that enveloped 1990s Sierra Leone, "Blood Diamond" is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), an ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe, and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories and their circumstances are as different as any can be until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond, the kind of stone that can transform a life...or end it.
Solomon, who has been taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields, finds the extraordinary gem and hides it at great risk, knowing if he is discovered, he will be killed instantly. But he also knows the diamond could not only provide the means to save his wife and daughters from a life as refugees but also help rescue his son, Dia, from an even worse fate as a child soldier.
Archer, who has made his living trading diamonds for arms, learns of Solomon's hidden stone while in prison for smuggling. He knows a diamond like this is a once-in-a-lifetime find—valuable enough to be his ticket out of Africa and away from the cycle of violence and corruption in which he has been a willing player.
Enter Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an idealistic American journalist who is in Sierra Leone to uncover the truth behind conflict diamonds, exposing the complicity of diamond industry leaders who have chosen profits over principles. Maddy seeks out Archer as a source for her article, but soon finds it is he who needs her even more.
With Maddy's help, Archer and Solomon embark on a dangerous trek through rebel territory. Archer needs Solomon to find and recover the valuable pink diamond, but Solomon seeks something far more precious...his son.

Taken from: http://blooddiamondmovie.warnerbros.com/

THE CAST:
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO (Danny Archer),JENNIFER CONNELLY (Maddy Bowen),DJIMON HOUNSOU (Solomon Vandy),MICHAEL SHEEN (Simmons),ARNOLD VOSLOO (The Colonel),KAGISO KUYPERS (Dia),DAVID HAREWOOD (Captain Poison),BASIL WALLACE (Benjamin),NTARE MWINE (M'ed)

Taken from:http://blooddiamondmovie.warnerbros.com/

THE REVIEW:
On the whole,i found the show well worth the ticket price. Not only was it a 2hr plus show,the storyline and movie setting far surpassed my expectations. I decided to watch the movie with JJ without much of a clue of what it was really about.All i knew was that there was this really precious diamond which everyone was on the hunt for. Never did i expect that there is infact a story that goes along with the diamond. Apparently,the diamond is quite unlike any other as it is pinkish and as mentioned in the show,some people actually believe that the reason it is pink is because the earth where it is mined from is where there has been plenty of blood shedding.The story basically revolves around conflict diamonds(diamonds that were not mined by willing miners but by unwilling slaves). It is sad to know how a continent like Africa can be overwhelmed by civil war sparked off mainly by the greed surrounding diamonds as well as other precious resources like oil and gold. Besides that,the movie also centralised upon the love of a father,about how despite the many dangers and setbacks,still keeps him going on his quest to save his son and family.Although the show failed to move me,it really painted a picture regarding conflict diamonds which i had never knew about.The facts to me were really eye opening and from it,i could better understand the plight of the African people.The action sequences in the show was pretty applaudable as well and since it was a movie about war,the fighting scenes really kept my eyes peeled upon the screen.To sum it all up,i would recommend watching the show to get a better insight on whats going on in the world out there.At the same time,do look out for some of the messages that the show is trying to bring across to us--the strength of a father's love......how every person is just a human being but whether we are good or bad depends on what we do......the importance of purchasing conflict free diamonds or better still,to stay away from them completely(i pity the ladies haha.)