The Frame

This tale of African political turmoil, genocide, and diamond smuggling is beautiful to look at, and highlighting the plight of African refugees is certainly a noble goal, but overall, Blood Diamond is heavy-handed and overwrought. And I’m sorry, Leo, I think you’re a really good actor, but that South African accent was painful. Really, diCaprio’s best work last year was in The Departed, and when he was nominated for an Oscar for this instead, I was shocked, and still am. Anyway, the major reason I’m giving Blood Diamond an Above Average instead of an Average is because the cinematography is gorgeous, and it’s worth watching just to see the beauty of Africa even through the ugliness of so much of the current political situation.
Above Average