BLOOD DIAMOND (Nate)

[IAcademyNate]

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Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer and Djimon Hounsou as Solomon Vandy
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[wenndy]

Solomon Vandy is a fisherman from Sierra Leone---the paradise of diamond located in western Africa. He used to live a peaceful life with his wife and sons. However, the devastating war damaged his homeland, which was once a utopia but turned into a godforsaken land after the unrest. Separated from his family, he became a slave in a diamond field bearing endless work and physical tortures; his wife and their newly born baby became refugees. Tragedy also happened on his older son Dia, who was kidnapped and brainwashed by the RUF. Danny Archer is an African born American who had miserable young years. He was a mercenary working for colonel Coetzee and has been a diamond smuggler after quitting the military forces. Maddy Bowen is an elegant journalist from New York. She has been working steadily to reveal the brutal truth of the business of the conflict diamond. The priceless pink diamond discovered by Solomon correlated these three people together dramatically.

Danny desired the diamond badly because of his strong wish of quitting the illegal diamond business and leaving the Africa forever with considerable money. He took a great risk when giving his contact book to Maddy, which means that once Maddy publish the whole story behind this notebook, he would undoubtedly get into death threats. So it was reasonable for him to think about trading the stone for the last time and completely quitting with the money. As for Solomon, it was the only choice for him, who found the stone, to rescue his whole family by selling the stone to the officials from the diamond association. That was the reason why he wanted the pink diamond. Danny Archer used to respect colonel Coetzee as they had experienced a tough but happy life together in military forces. Danny might had treated Coetzee as a crucial friend or an older brother in his life since he had lost his family when he was a kid. Unfortunately, after he found that Coetzee was as devious and brutal as other businessmen, he did not believe in him anymore. Finally Danny shot Coetzee to death when fighting for the diamond.

I think this film is a realistic portray of Africa. Even now there are numbers of child soldiers in Africa. The business of blood diamond still exists in some parts of the Africa, as an illegal means of reducing costs and gaining wealth. As a result, both global awareness and international cooperation are needed to prohibit this inhuman activity.

[akerke]

Here in Sierra Leone, for the first glance seemings as an Utopian place, where the birds are singing, and the trees are growing (and even how!). But the ground is - red. Local people are convinced it is because it has absorbed the blood of several generations of slaves, mining for diamonds greedy newcomers. And somewhere in the affluent West (Best World) beautiful stones, pure as a tear is stored in bank vaults. Having a long chain of resale, they were cleaned from the criminal past - on paper, so representatives of Western civilization, who believes in democracy and human rights, will purchase those crystals without the slightest remorse. This Western Civilization's people did not need to know that a gang of 8-12-year-olds, go through psychological treatment and shot up drugs, under the leadership of the rebel "Liberation Army" who shoot defenseless villages, cut hands and heads of innocent ones, and exploit the rest on diamond mines. Our daily problems no longer seem to be the problems, huh? When you see those devastating, frightful, full of cruelty scenes caused by the conflict diamonds in Africa, our usual world seems to be no longer our peaceful and calm world. Blood diamond are bloody in a reality, indeed. I mean, how many deaths, losses, betrayals, violence and martyrdom it caused, It's small piece of stone. For what all these wars, mulberry-colored rivers of blood and so much inhumanity? Only for keep balanced the cycle of diamond circulation: raw and seemingly precious stones acquire their endless charm and value and then adorn the sophisticated necks, ears and fingers of unsuspecting ladies of high society, and thereby the money acquired from selling those diamonds some persons finance the wars in which involved absolutely innocent people, including innocent kids. Ok, this was just a thinking out loud.

1. Solomon Vandy a simple fisherman, fair and square person and loving father of his kids. Danny Archer, ex-mercenary, having very sad life story, orphan since 8-years old when his parents were brutally murdered, smuggler, who will soon change his point of view on to several things by helping Solomon to save his family. Maddy Bowen, journalist, adventurer, peace-seeker, one who wants to change something in this cruel world.

2. I think Solomon wanted a diamond for the future of his family, maybe he thought that having one will help him and his family to escape from problems in which they got stucked. Danny Archer wanted this precious stone to finally end up with Colonel Coetzee and the life in Africa at all.

3. Danny Archer works for Colonel Coetzee. Coetzee is an employer of Danny. Through the movie, we also found out that Colonel has some relationship to the military circles, therefore, might be Colonel was a kind of captain of Danny, who was serving as mercenary.

[davidlu0517]

Solomon Vandy is a fisherman from Sierra Leone, a utopia full of diamond resources. He lived a peaceful life with his family until RUF devastated his homeland. Solomon was caught to work in diamond field, while his wife and children became refugees. After Solomon accidentally found a pink diamond, his son Dia Vandy was kidnapped by RUF and then started his miserable life. Danny Archer became a mercenary who smuggle diamond from African countries after retiring from the army. Maddy Bowen is an frantic American journalist. She aimed to publish book in order to prohibit diamond smuggling in Africa.

Danny was crazy about the pink diamond because of he wanted to leave Sierra Leone forever and come back to his own country. As for Solomon, if he could find a consumer to purchase the stone, his family would be released. Danny used to regard Colonel Coetzee as a crucial friend before he found Colonel a greedy and devious person.

Diamonds are the symbol of wealth and power, shinning and bright, and there may also be a bloody story behind each diamond. Why is the land of Africa red? Just like what Danny Archer has said, the land is the land of wars and it is covered with blood. People fight wars not for independence or freedom, but for the possession of ivories, oil, golds, as well as diamonds. To possess goods, soldiers are sent to battle fields, and children are trained to become killing machines. 

As for a woman, like Maddy Bowen, men are like the tools that they use to connect with the world. Maddy Bowen, as an ambitious female journalist, wants to get to know what are happening behind the wars on this chaotic land in Africa through her relationship with Danny Archer. At the ending of the movie, Danny Archer made a call to Maddy Bowen, when Maddy is just having a wonderful afternoon in a rich European town. She says over the phone, “Where are you? I’m coming to find you.” He doesn’t answer her question, but just says, “I wish you were here.” 

For Danny Archer and Solomon Vandy, they have been born and raised on this land. They are not one of those middle-class men from other places of the world trying to satisfy their curiosities, or one of those who have ever wanted to save this piece of land. In this movie, the greed, the cruelness, and the stupidness of human are revealed. Some people who never belong here, may be asking, “How could one person change this place?” But Danny Archer and Solomon Vandy would not doubt. They are just struggling, but never think about leaving the land. 

This movie is a realistic portrait of Africa. Sometimes, I’m wondering if god will forgive us for what we’ve done to each other. And I look around and realize God left this place long time ago. 

[Jiaqi]

1. Solomon Vandy used to be a normal fisherman in Sierra Leone who leads a happy life with his lovely family. His peaceful life was torn apart when the devastating RUF attacked his village. He was forced to be a slave miner, his son was threatened to be a child-soldier and his other family members became refugees.
Danny Archer was born in Africa. He lost his parents at a very young age. Being a super smart opportunist, he served as a professional mercenary from Rhodesia before he became an independent smuggler. He was trained to deliver arms, to cross over boarders and to sell illegal diamonds secretly.
Maddy Bowen is a female journalist who is specialized in featuring war stories, devoting herself into investigative reporting. She is ambitious and adventurous enough to break a big story on the illegal smuggling of conflict diamonds in Africa.

2. Solomon wants the diamond because he recognized that getting this precious diamond is the only way to get rid of RUF and bring reconciliation to his family.
Danny wants the diamond because he is a diamond smuggler. After realizing the worth of the bling-bling stone, he decided to make a final huge deal so that he could escape the troubles of Africa and lead a comfort life once and for all.

3. Danny's relationship to Colonel Coetzee shifted from close to aloof. Colonel Coetzee was a mentor of Danny in his earlier years. But their closeness broke up when Danny discovered Coetzee’s greediness.

4. Yes, BLOOD DIAMOND is a realistic portrait of Africa. The film reflects almost all problems concerning to the Civil War of Sierra Leone in Africa during the 90’s. Back then in Africa, significant amount of national mineral resource, namely diamonds were sold illegally in an underground black market by rebel army (RUF) to finance their conflict against the government. The RUF largely forced untrained and unskilled labor to mine for diamonds, and even robbed families of their children and trained them to be child-soldiers. With the absence of law enforcement, subsequently, the RUF’s atrocity rendered the country in poverty and misery.

[nathayde]

Blood Diamond is such an impressive and frantic movie, which involves action, drama and love. It occurs in Africa and shows how african people have to struggle for their liberty.

There are three main characters: Solomon Vandy, Danny Archer, Maddy Bowen, who pursue different goals and have different characteristics. Solomon Vandy is a nice man who has an utopia that Africa can be a safe place in the future, even though he has to suffer for it. Danny Archer is an opportunist smuggler who wants the diamond to get more money; and Maddy Bowen is a reporter who wants to report the invisible industry of diamonds.

I was shocked because I did know how serious the problem was in Africa. It is a paradise where innocent people die because of the greedy, and children act as adults, killing each other. Although it is a very sad movie which shows destruction and poverty, we can realized that even in that situation we can find good people such as Solomon, who is not involved in the devious industry of diamonds. Moreover, Danny who is not very honest, in the end, he demonstrated a good attitude, helping Solomon to meet his family and build a new life.

I loved this movie because it is a heart breaking story which shows that we can see reconciliation and a bright side.

Thank you!

[tomoki1210]

I really enjoyed this movie. It has a strong and serious theme; “Blood Diamond”. I think movies, which have too strong messages tend to be boring because it is too serious. However, this movie is not, because the story is combined with tastes of action and suspense and this succeeds in attracting people into the story.

Solomon Vandy is a fisherman in Sierra Leonne. After his village was destroyed and his son was kidnapped by the RUF, he is forced to work in the diamond fields and there he found a large “blood diamond”, and he strongly desires to find his family. Danny Archer was born in Africa. His parents were killed unreasoningly and he has neither home nor family. He was formerly a mercenary and now earns money by smuggling diamonds in conflict country in Africa. Maddy Bowen is a journalist from New York. She wants evidence that the money made by trades of blood diamond is becoming a fund source of RUF.

Solomon wants the diamond because he can make a deal with it to get his family back. Archer wants the diamond to get money. Coetzee is Archer’s former military superior when he was a mercenary. Coetzee also watches for an opportunity to get the diamond.

In my opinion, I don’t think “Blood Diamond” is not a realistic portrait of Africa. The first scene and last scene took non-fiction style, however, the whole story is completely fiction. Of course the movie reflected a part of reality because its background is true, but the reality remains only a small part of whole situation of the complicated conflict countries. Anyway, I think it was a great achievement of the movie to evoke watchers’ minds that there lies big problem in smuggling in conflicted areas.

[yenchichi]

I really immersed myself into this movie when I watched it.Due to the reason that Africa is always far and mysterious for most of the travelers,I know almost nothing about Africa and the procession of diamonds making.This movie definitely open my vision of the world which I haven't dipped into.

Among the movie,Solomon Vandy's family was threaten to death by the rape of RUF.RUF,an evil militia of Africa,conflicting with the government.Solomon's family was taken away to become refugees,except for his son,was taken to be a child soldier.Danny Archer was a diamond smuggler in Africa,he was a opportunist of contracting diamonds to earn money.Danny was almost a nihilist that he only believed in himself and kind of selfish,not until he met a war reporter Maddy Bowen and Solomon did he change the thought of himself.Maddy Bowen denied all the things which Danny did at first,but after they get to know each other,she starts to consider Danny was just doing his job as she did.

In the movie,Solomon found a huge pink diamond bling in the water,he secretly hided it into dirt site.On account of the value of the pink stone,people mind it very much.Solomon can imagine the big deal with this stone to bring his family back,Danny wanted to retired after selling this tremendous diamond,and others could make big profit on it,too.The relationship between Danny and Colonel was mutually beneficial.Danny used the ever-advancing technology and resources from Colonel,while Colonel exploited Danny to find and sold diamonds for him.

I comment Blood Diamond is a realistic portrait of Africa.It occurs civil war and some worst circumstances all the time.For the bigger benefit,there would definitely happen several events and thus appears horrible things such as struggling and decapitating.For those who don't actually live in Africa,they are often cunning and only pursue for his own profit.They couldn't understand the paradise for local people is only live with their family safely.All the things those refugee could do was to imagine and anticipate an utopia world in their country.However,though this problem couldn't be invisible,for others people who want to help,the issue in Africa is always a conundrum which lack of deadline to be solved.(Deadline won't appear!)

[vvmoro]

Blood Diamond is set in Sierra Leone, Africa, during the civil war that occurred in the 1990’s. The movie focus on the illegal diamond trade inside the country to finance the war. There are three main characters who take part in the plot. A humble fisherman called Solomon Vandy of the Mende tribe who gets caught in the middle of a devastating attack performed by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), which tears his family apart and turns him into a diamond-mining slave; a former mercenary from Rhodesia called Danny Archer who now smuggles diamonds to survive; and Maddy Bowen, an American journalist trying to gather enough information to build her story about smuggling diamonds.

While working for the RUF, Solomon finds a big pink diamond and manages to bury it nearby to later sell it and get rid of his poor life style. However, the diamond is discovered and people starts to chase it. Danny would do anything he can to obtain the stone because he intends to leave the continent forever after paying his debts to Colonel Coetzee. He and the Colonel are long friends from the 32 Battalion, where Danny was a soldier and Coetzee his former leader.

In the end, Danny cannot hold on any longer after being shot in the RUF village conflict and dies, leaving the mission of dismembering the corrupt net of diamond smuggling to Maddy and Solomon.

The movie is great because it conveys a realistic view of the conflicts that afflicted Sierra Leone involving the exchange of innocent lives for diamonds and power in the capitalist world. In addition, it points out that the mining sector, especially diamonds, still haunts some countries from Africa.

[Pedro Carli]

Africa is a continent that has been violently exploited for centuries because of its natural resources, and the movie Blood Diamond portrays this scenario with a very realistic point of view. With this movie, you get the chance to see what really happens behind the scenes of the diamond industry: illegal extraction, human exploitation, “white slavery”, children’s abuse, illegal sales and many other things. The devastating relationship between Europeans and Africans is crucial to understand the context in which the history is told, showing us that everything bad that is happening in Africa is somehow related to the first world’s economy.

The history mainly involves the life of three different people: Solomon Vandy, Danny Archer and Maddy Bowen. Solomon is a poor African fisherman who lives a simple life with his family in Sierra Leone, while Danny is a smuggler that used to be a soldier commanded by Colonel Coetzee. Maddy is an American journalist that went to Africa in order to find a true history that could make the world see the ugly and sad side of the diamond industry.

Solomon wanted the diamond because it could give him the chance to live a better life with his family, far away from the problems of Sierra Leone. However, Danny needed it to pay his debt with Colonel Coetzee and leave the country, because he considered Africa as a “forsaken continent”.