Known for Big Statement movies that throb to progressive ideas, Edward Zwick flirts with the irrelevance of Stanley Kramer, hanging the importance of a film on the importance of a subject. (Fortunately, he’s a far better filmmaker than Stanley ever was.) But in this well-received action/adventure take on the all-too-true horrors of African diamond mining practices amid sadistically waged Civil War under constant threat from rival terrorist rebels, and the international cabal it feeds, he’s hoist on his own petard of unmet noble intentions. Leonardo DiCaprio takes what once would have been the Great White Hunter role, here demoted to wily, inconsequential Zimbabwue-born diamond smuggler.* Djimon Hounsou has the old native guide spot, repurposed as family man torn from his home, who finds & hides a gem worth a fortune as he slaves for a particularly vicious rebel outfit and dreams of finding his family. Jennifer Connelly, rather bizarrely cast, is the fearless journalist (as morally principled as DiCaprio is ‘un’), there to humanize (him) and inform (us) with didactic orations between some handsomely staged action set pieces. But Zwick and his writers have the unfortunate habit of painting themselves into dramatic corners before getting out of jams by having some opposing rebel faction (or allied Western force) show up for a surprise ambush. And with DiCaprio’s character arc leaning toward personal redemption (very Hemingway/Gary Cooper/FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS-ish), even his jittery/staccato line delivery can’t entirely rinse the stink of Good Intentions & White Man’s Burden from the film. NOTE: Labeled Family Friendly (on the main site, labels don't show on mobiles), but not for the kiddies, 12-ish and up due to the violence.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID/LINK: *DiCaprio not only nails the South African/Rhodesian accent, but also shows old-line Hollywood finesse toning it down a notch as the film goes on. Robert Mitchum, a startlingly good mimic of tricky accents, demonstrates this to perfection in THE SUNDOWNERS/’60. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/06/sundowners-1960.html
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