BLOOD DIAMOND

THERE IS A CIVIL WAR GOING ON IN AN AFRICAN NATION. THERE IS SENSELESS AND ALMOST UNSPEAKABLE VIOLENCE AND BRUTALITY TAKING PLACE ON AN EVERYDAY BASIS. A WONDERFUL FAMILY IS CAUGHT UP IN THE WHIRLWIND OF INSANITY, BLOOD DIAMOND IS AN EXAMINATION OF THE FORCES THAT ARE AT WORK TO FUEL AND PERPETUATE THIS WAR AND THE PROFIT THAT IS MADE FROM IT. I DID NOT THINK THE STORY WOULD HOLD UP FOR THE TWO HOURS AND 18 MINUTES OF RUNNING TIME - I WAS WRONG. THIS STORY IS MULTI-LAYERED AND THERE IS ENOUGH GOING ON AT ALL TIMES TO HOLD THE INTEREST OF A CHESS GRANDMASTER. LEONARDO DICAPRIO IS REACHING THAT STATUS AND STATURE IN THE FILM INDUSTRY, WHERE HIS NAME ON A TITLE, IS ALMOST A GUARANTEE OF A QUALITY MOVIE. HIS ONLY MISSTEP IN MY BOOK, WAS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH THAT SILLY TITANIC TRASH, BUT WITH THAT KIND OF MONEY INVOLVED, I CAN'T BLAME HIM AND I DOUBT IF HE WOULD HAVE REFUSED THE ROLE, IF HE KNEW I WOULD BLAME HIM. DJIMON HOUNSOU IS NOT REVIEWABLE; HE IS ALWAYS DEAD ON TARGET AND ABLE TO HOLD THE SCREEN AGAINST BOTH FELLOW ACTORS AND MAGNIFICENT SCENERY. AT FIRST I FIGURED THE FEMALE LEAD, WAS HERE TO BE A FEMALE IN AN ALL MALE CAST, BUT AS THE STORY UNFOLDS, JENNIFER CONNELLY DEVELOPS A CHARACTER THAT IS WORTH WATCHING AND SHE DOES IMPACT THE STORY, WITH MORE THAN HER GOOD LOOKS. I SHOULD RECEIVE COMBAT PAY: CASINO ROYALE CRANK FREEDOM WRITERS APOCALYPTO EVEN NATIVITY STORY AND NOW THIS FILM, ALL HAVE A LEVEL OF BRUTALITY THAT MAKES LAST YEAR'S, "A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE," SEEM LIKE A 1950s DISNEY MOVIE. BLOOD DIAMOND IS A ROUGH, TOUGH, TRAUMATIC RIDE -- IT IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART OR THOSE LOOKING FOR A MUSICAL COMEDY, BUT IT IS A GOOD PICTURE AND WORTHY OF THE STRESS IT WILL PUT YOU THRU TO REACH THE FINALSCENE - AS MY WINGATE HIGH SCHOOL TRACK TEAM FRIENDS WOULD SAY - IT IS A MARATHON AND NOT A SPRINT. YOU WILL BE EXHAUSTED BY THE END OF THIS FILM - IT DOES INVOLVE YOU ON A VERY EMOTIONAL LEVEL AND THAT TAKES A TOLL ON YOURPSYCHE.