Film Review: Blood Diamond

Leonard DiCaprio delivers in this bloody and violent story of illegal diamond smulggling from Africa. The film stays true to its genre, so one should not expect too much depth here. DiCaprio does a great job with a near perfect imitiation South African acccent. The film itself tells a highly disturbing story that over the last few years has occupied a peripheral spot on news reports. The portrayal of diamond-related violence in Africa makes one wonder if the director has over-exercised his creative license and exploited the story to turn it into the 21st century version of the King Solomon Mines. By pure coincidence, a few days later on a flight from Miami we met a wholesale diamond dealer. When asked about the film, the dealer replied: “I saw it on the opening day. It is almost accurate, – the reality is much worse”.  Recommended.