BLOOD DIAMOND (Nate)

[Nini]

Solomon Vandy, a fisherman in Africa, has a nice family and lives in a peaceful life. He has a wife, a baby girl, and a son who loves his father very much. However, this all changed when RUF, a bunch of cruel rebels in Africa, took away his son and forced him to dig diamond for them. Solomon's family fell apart. His wife and daughter became refugees. His son, Dia, were brainwashed and forced to kill for the RUF.

One day, when Solomon was digging, he found a big pink diamond which is very rare and valuable, he supposed to hand it out, but he took it and buried it in somewhere safe. He wants the diamond, not because he wanted to sell it for money. He was trying to find a way to get himself out and get his family back. That's when he met Danny Archer, a cunning diamond smuggler who used to be a mercenary. Archer heard about Vandy's precious diamond, and decided to go after him for the stone. He smuggles these diamond to make profits. To get the diamond, Archer promised to Solomon he will get Solomon's family back, and during their action, he met a charming American journalist, Maddy Bowen, who devotes to reporting this dirty and sanguinary diamond trade to the world.

Maddy wanted to dig out some stories from Archer, but she didn't get one. Archer wants the diamond so much and he also doesn't agree with Maddy. But after they went through some riots, they got closer. Danny told Maddy about his story, how his parents were tortured and killed when he was child, how his life was miserable, Maddy began to see why he is doing what he does, and feel sympathy for him. On the way to find the diamond, Archer met Colonel Coetzee, his mentor when he was mercenary, but Coetzee got too greedy about this pink diamond, so they turned against each other. And finally, Danny and Solomon got Dia back, and they had the diamond, but Coetzee had an army surrounded them, Archer was injured, he gave the diamond to Solomon, and sacrificed himself. Solomon got reunited with his family, and he stander out to tell the world about his story.

BLOOD DIAMOND is a realistic portrait of Africa, the story itself may be polished a little, but the bloody diamond trade is real. Rebels in Africa kill innocent people and force men to dig diamond, so they get money to buy more weapons. The trade is illegal. There is nothing wrong to buy a diamond, but we should see what these diamonds took to be trade here, we should do something to stop the bleeding, and give the peaceful Africa back to their people.

[afreitas]

Blood Diamond is a movie about the conflict diamonds in Africa. The story consists in three main characters: Solomon Vandy, Danny Archer and Maddy Bowen. Solomon was a fisherman who lived in a village with his family until the rebels invade his home and force him to work in diamond mines. He looks like an honest person who just wants a good future for his children. Danny Archer is an ex mercenary and a smuggler who had a difficult past, he lost his parents in a brutal way when he was just a kid. He seems to be a big opportunist. Maddy is an American journalist trying to help people in Africa by discovering who people are involved in the conflict diamonds.

Solomon found a big pink diamond while he was working at the diamond mines and he buried it in the forest. He imagines the diamond can be used to save his family and provide them a better life and freedom.

Danny met Solomon at the jail and he heard that Solomon had this special diamond, so once Danny was out of prison he helped Solomon to get out of jail. Danny wants the diamond because he needs to pay the Colonel Coetzee, who was the leader of Danny by the time he was a mercenary. So Danny started to help Solomon on behalf of himself and Solomon accepted the deal of splitting the diamond with Danny under the circumstances.

The relationship between the three main characters developed during the movie. Maddy starts to consider the life style of Danny because he tells her about his past and she starts to have feelings for him. She also helps Solomon to find his family but not his son Dia who was kidnaped by the rebels. Danny is the one who helps Solomon to find and to release his son Dia. Solomon makes Danny become a better person and they become kind of friends. Danny considers that Maddy might be right and maybe she can do something to help people in Africa.

All the three main characters reach their targets. Maddy gets her story, Solomon gets his family and Danny gets his peace.

In my opinion, this movie represents the real situation in Africa at that time. People can do anything for money, even kill their own people. I also believe there are some people who really care about other lives but themselves, people like Maddy Bowen. The economy is very crucial for a country, but there is no economy or even a country without people, so it is important to improve people’s life besides developing the economy.

Student: Aline Emílio Freitas

[Aibar]

Well, when you see a diamond, you see a beauty in hexagonal, however only a few people realize what is the true cost for that. In this movie, we saw a realistic demonstration of how African people are suffering from greedy businessmen from Belgium, the USA or the UK. Violence everywhere, kids are killers, one country's people became enemies, its look like peace left this forever. The main heroes Danny Archer is searching for a diamond and is ready for everything on the way to get it. On his way, he met Salomon Wendy, who smuggled on the field a big piece of diamond. So Dany decides to get it and sell it to Coetzee.

1. Danny Archer is a diamond searcher and intermediator, who smuggles diamond from Africa to Europe. He said that he had a terrible childhood and he became a killer for diamonds. However, during the movie, we can see that he has positive sides that will help to other people. Solomon Wendy is a proud father of three children and a lovely husband. It seemed that he was happy with his life until the revolution comes to his family. From this moment, he starts to fight for his freedom and his son, Dia, who became a sacrifice of revolution. Maddy Bowen is a reporter from the UK who wants to show to the world a true image of Africa. She starts to see a real picture of revolution with Danny and Solomon.

2. Solomon wants the diamond for his family and he thinks that it will help them. The reason why Danny wants diamond is just he wants to became rich until the rest of his life.

3. Denny and Coetzee has one target. It is a smuggling of the diamond to the UK.

4. Yes, I think that this movie shows a real image of African hard life. People become crazy because of diamonds. To get diamonds humans are ready for everything and even to mass killing of people. No cost for people's life. Dimond smugglers like a beast. And "Blood Diamond" shows it well.

[Jichoi]

I saw posters of this movie "Blood Diamond' frequently anywhere when It had opened. In fact, I haven't watched the movie unfortunately. I think it's so shame not to watch this overwhelming movie until now in that it has influenced the world in terms of figuring out what's going on Africa; Civil war, children soldier,Diamond mining, resource and so on. It emerged strongly. Actually I had known a little bit about Africa before I watched this movie. It has crucial impact on my thought about Africa.

Solomon Vandy had been a common person who has family before the invasion occurred to his neighborhood. At the same time there had been conflict between a government and rebels.He was forced to work in the place known for Diamond in order to find Diamond. The place was located near mountain. Danny Archer was a soldier and changed his job as a smuggler. He is kind of devious because of the circumstance he got when he was young. Actually his mom was raped and dad died when he was a child. It has affected his mentality in a devastating way obviously. somehow he pursues wealth and anticipates his future as rich. Maddy Bowen is a journalist who struggles to inform the fact that Africa is not paradise at all. It's more like site where only frantic things flood. She tries to contribute to the effort to cease or diminish war

Solomon actually needed the diamond to get his family back to the normal life. He assumed the stone would be likely to give him a lot of money that's enough to save his family. As I mentioned earlier, Danny wants to be wealthy, so he exploits Solomon's situation to get the diamond. Because he has been keeping in touch with several consumers, he imagined utopia would come to him as long as he gets the diamond.
Colonel Coetzee is previous boss of Danny when he was in army. After Danny got out of the army, they have kept in touch by having some contracts. Technically speaking, they take advantage of their jobs.

This movie doesn't reflect the fact of what's going on in Africa exactly, but it nearly shows us what are problems. I think it is depicted almost 100 percent about the truth of Africa.
Thank you

[abanumay]

Solomon who lives in Africa with his family he as a fisher man and really loves his family. he does not mind to abnadon his life if it's for his family Archer is also from Africa he served military before and he is a smuggler with dealing illegal diamond exported from Africa. Maddy who is from America is a journalist she has been working on her work in Africa.I think Vandy wanted this diamond because after he escaped from RUF he wanted to took care his family, so he needed that diamond about financially. Danny Archer did not want to be in Africa.however , he needed that diamond.

Also it was about financially. Colonel Coetzee who is bald as a billiard ball was a leader of Danny's organization. He was such a bad guy and want to buy the big diamond. So Danny was a kind of broker who worked for Colonel. But , they betrayed each other.In my opinion, this film is one of the realities that happens in Africa. That is not all tragedies there. However, what all happen in Africa is not just sorrowful catastrophe. The peaceful world must be achieved there.

I really recommend this movie to my friends.
Thank you.

[The3TG]

Leonardo DiCaprio's movies are my all time favorites so naturally its not my first time to watch this interesting movie talking about the real scene happening in Africa.

What are the backgrounds of Solomon Vandy, Danny Archer, and Maddy Bowen?
Solomon Vandy, a fisherman who was suppurated from his family by the cartels who's searching for them and whiling to find and get his kidnapped son back at any price.

Danny Archer, Former worrier who's specialized in smuggling "blood diamonds" through all over Africa.

Maddy Bowen, an American journalist trying to find her story of truth in Africa.

[mjonmovie]

The background is in Sierra Leone in 1999. There was a fisherman Solomon Vandy and he had a young son, Dia, who is ambitious. Suddenly, as the rebel forces named RUF attacked their village, Solomon was parted from his family and Dia was kidnapped by them and became a soldier of RUF. Solomon was dragged as a slave to find diamonds for RUF but he hid the biggest diamond that he had found.
At that time, a diamond smuggler, Danny Archer came to Africa to smuggle diamonds and he noticed that Solomon had hidden the biggest and the most rare diamond. He wanted the diamond because he smuggled habitually for weapon trade. So he tempted Solomon to take himself to where diamond is by suggesting that he would find Solomon’s family. On the other hand, Solomon wanted the diamond because he thought that diamond can help him to fing his family.
that moment, Danny met Maddy Bowen, an idealistic American journalist, who wants to expose Africa’s corrupt diamond industry. She found Danny to get some information, but she started to know about his humanity, so finally she decided to help Danny and Solomon to find Solomon’s family and then escape from Africa.
I watched this movie with a big interest because I didn’t know about the Africa diamond industry and young soldiers of rebels at all.

[julie]

I usually do not like this kind of movies which are violent and gross but blood diamond was very realistic, pretty shocking and impressing movie to me because everything i see in this movie could be still happening in Africa. Since i know these facts, i thought that i should not pass over it. A background of this movie has been setting some parts of Sierra Leone.

Q1.What are the backgrounds of Solomon Vandy, Danny Archer, and Maddy Bowen?

*Solomon Vandy -
Solomon Vandy is a main character and he is a normal fisherman who was taking responsibility for his family. He has a son whose name is Dia. He has hoped him to be a doctor. One day, his village was attacked by RUF that has been doing violent activities. Solomon was taken into their base camp as a diamond miner and he was forced to mine under their control. Accidentally, He found a pink diamond.
*Danny Archer-
Danny Archer is a diamond smuggler. He has done everything to collect diamonds because those are driving him crazy and he could earn a lot of money by selling them. He usually collects and sells them very secretly. He used to be professional mercenary before he became a smuggler. He was born in Africa and his parents passed away when he was young. He is going to be changed his mind after he ran into Solomon and Maddy by chance.
*Maddy Bowen-
Maddy Bowen is a journalist who is covering and reporting news about illegal trading of diamond in Africa. Even though she approaches Danny to get some information, she decides to help Solomon and Danny. Solomon, Danny and Maddy were gathered by accident and They are going to look for diamond by different reasons of money, family and information.

Q2.Why does Solomon want the diamond? Why does Danny Archer want it?

Although He is the only one who knows about a pink diamond, it is not important to Solomon at all. The most important thing to him is family. On the other hand, there are many people who want to find a pink diamond but none of them knows the location of a pink diamond. So he decided that using a pink diamond to find his family. Danny needs it not only to earn money but also end up with Colonel and the life in Africa.