Blood Diamond
May 2007 Reviewed by: Anthony Di Marco Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

I don’t like to be preached to -- or at least know that I’m being preached to. I respect a film that goes about delivering a politically charged message without being condescending. Edward Zwick is one of those directors that can ride that fine line between preaching and entertaining. His film Glory did a nice job of commenting on discrimination within the context of the Civil War, although the politicking of Annette Bening’s character may have tipped The Siege too far to the left.

I’m a big fan of Zwick. I’m a sucker for sweeping epics that center on a flawed hero who dies for the cause. Blood Diamond produces this epic scope admirably, not only delivering a politically charged message but also entertaining us. Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou give emotionally charged performances as two men searching for what imparts meaning and value to their lives. The special effects unit delivers some of the most realistic scenes of war yet to be recorded to film. The opening beach scene in Saving Private Ryan may have been a model of perfectly orchestrated chaos, but the bedlam depicted in Blood Diamond in the terrifying siege of Freetown takes the audience one step further into hell.

Zwick knows how to make a gorgeous-looking film. Cinematographer Eduardo Serra’s sun-drenched scenes convey the beauty of Africa. The images are well recorded to standard-definition DVD (a high definition Blu-ray or HD DVD version is yet to be released), with just a little bit of noise; softness in some images keeps this DVD from being a reference sample. The audio is very good with little compression apparent in the Dolby 5.1 mix. Explosions possess the snap and boom to make the moments of chaos and war vivid and lifelike.

High marks go to the team that produced the extras on this two-disc set. The excellent documentary Blood on the Stone chronicles a diamond’s journey from the ground to the consumer. Behind-the-scenes documentaries showcase the transformation of Leonardo DiCaprio into Archer, the role of women journalists in war, and the filmmakers’ orchestration of the convincing siege of Freetown. These featurettes center on solid information rather than empty back-patting. The only extraneous element is a mediocre music video that takes away from the gravity and urgency of the story, a story the filmmakers have told without forcing their political position on the audience.

• Go Back