Pookie, Ann and I went to watch Blood Diamond Saturday night. Damn, when did Leo grow up and turn into such a phenomenal actor? The movie is good, and if you've got some time to kill, completely worth watching.
It tugs on the same heartstrings as Hotel Rwanda in that it puts the things that were in the news into context and on a more human scale. My only complaint, and it's not even a complaint as much as an observation, was that I thought the idea of a self-sacrificing mercenary that believes in integrity and honor to be contrived. But, bringing that element into the picture allowed the movie to make some interesting detours into the less often heard plight of whites in Africa. Not all whites in Africa are corrupt and exploitative, and civil unrest doesn't discriminate. The movie also poses an interesting question -- what would Africa look like today if it didn't have all its natural resources. It might be a better, more peaceful place.
Interestingly enough, according to this article in Grist, the diamond industry has mounted a defense against this movie in an effort to curb any unfavorable publicity. It seems strange to me since even though the movie's storyline is fictional, this is what happened in Sierra Leone. While the civil war has ended, the diamonds are still bloody -- children are still being captured and families are still being torn apart in Africa in some part to the diamond industry.
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