Blood Diamond
Rating = B
This is a seriously flawed
movie. The battle scenes go on too long, the story has too many
elements and is too contrived, and there is too little to the role
played by Jennifer Connolly. Nonetheless: (1) the acting by the two
lead men is excellent (and Connolly does the best she can with her
role), and (2) the images of the cruelty of and destruction rained
on civilians by the multiple armed forces
— each with its own agenda (perhaps each local commander with his
own agenda) — and the destruction they rain on civilians just trying
to live their lives made me think of the continuing desperate plight
of civilians because of what such “armies” are doing in Africa (the
continuing genocide in Darfur, the struggles for control of Somalia)
and Iraq. Perhaps there should be a film festival including this
film Hotel Rwanda, The Constant Gardener, Darwin's Nightmare, and so
on, to really give us a blast of sensitivity about what is happening
in the rest of the world (and the possibility that our country could
also fall into such a state as various groups increasingly see their
fellow citizens as enemies).
[2007-01-04]