Blood Diamonds Movie Review

Against my better judgment, my wife and I attended another one of Hollywood’s attempts to coerce public opinion on their latest target. Blood Diamonds, the saga surrounding the moral challenge of the international gem trade. Based in Sierra Leone, Africa, in 1999, it depicts the story of two mercenaries fighting to locate a rare blood diamond the size of a golf ball. The local region, engulfed in a civil war between the government and the RUF (Revolutionary United Front), is a backdrop for indiscriminate torture and murder, all propagated by the illegal diamond market. This is the premise for the movie.

The story line aside, Hollywood, or most notably the director, Edward Zwick, is attempting to demonstrate to audiences that within humanity there is moral fiber above the greed of monetary gain. In order to substantiate his claim, Zwick is weaving a portrait depicting the methods in which these stones are attained. Wrapping all the bloodshed and pain into one neat package, presented for the rest of Hollywood’s elite to wallow in. They will in turn rally by his side, proclaiming that they will no longer wear diamonds, along with the previously banished furs and animal vivisection.

This is a powerful message, sent to an audience of millions, which has monetary and socio-political implications worldwide. Unlike the cave painters of Lascaux or the hieroglyphic pictographs of Mesopotamia, this message will be heard by many, not just idle passersby. This new art form, the Hollywood movie, compared to methods used in the past