a BLOODy good gem of a film

First off,
this should have been nominated for Best Picture,
not that bloody mess BABEL.
Blood Diamond director Edward Zwick
redeems himself after the underwhelming, Lito Lapid style-ending
of The Last Samurai.



Second,
i'd consider this a modern day CASABLANCA:
the African setting,
the opportunistic, morally ambiguous hero who smokes too much,
the noble innocents who are saved,
a gorgeous woman in the mix,
vicious opponents who are paragons of evil,
and finally,
a heros's redemption through a supreme act of sacrifice.




Third,
this movie made me an emotional wreck;
that scene on the hilltop atop the village,
where Solomon pleads with Danny Archer
to go let him go and find his son,
is as gripping and emotionally exhausting
as that almost-child shooting scene in CRASH.



Fourth,
the music of this film
is reminiscent of the recent greats in soundtrack scores:
GLADIATOR, which also starred Djimon Hounsou in a parallel role,
and
LEGENDS OF THE FALL, coincidentally directed also by Edward Zwick.
i'll definitely be looking for the soundtrack CD.




Fifth,
Di CAPRIO.
all the time he's spent recently with Martin Scorsese
has certainly paid off.
Forest Whitaker will deny him the Best Actor Oscar this year,
but it's becoming clearer and clearer
that Leo has shed off his matinee idol skin,
and is well on his way towards becoming his generation's De Niro.




And finally,
i love the fact that the titular Blood Diamond
actually refers to two key elements of the film.
Think about it....

Excellent!!!