brilliantbrown

I finally got around to seeing Blood Diamond. I was supposed to see this film on the opening weekend, but a miscommunication with a young lady meant that I missed it. Then a bunch of newer films came out and Blood Diamond was lost in a mix of too many films and not enough ticket money.

So, I found myself at the local second-run theatre that shows all of the not-so-new releases. I was a little shocked to see that it was playing, because I could have sworn it was already out on DVD.

Truth be told, this film has been reviewed hundreds of times over. There is no real NEED to reinvent the wheel here. Most of you have probably already seen this movie. So what’s the point? Well, I have gained an interesting perspective on the film that I think you, our loyal readers, would be interested in hearing… er, reading.

A few notes about GTC Masters 7, my local second-run movie house. Second-run theatres, or dollar movies as they’re known in the south, are like the Wal-Marts of movie experiences. Low prices, lower expectations.

Despite having what appeared to be a recently patched hole in the screen, the picture quality was superb. Call me a theatre nerd if you want to, but it looked as though they’d recently upgraded to digital HD projectors. This all but confirmed my belief that they’re just renting DVDs or Blue-Ray Discs from the local Blockbuster Video and playing them through a projector like so many Powerpoint presentations, but I digress.

I’ve just wasted occupied a few minutes of your attention span rambling about the theatre’s condition, but haven’t even mentioned the movie yet.

So what about the movie?

Because this movie has been out for a while, I have the ability to critique it without worrying about spoilers. That being said, if you haven’t seen the movie then you might want to stop reading now.

Still here? Brilliant! Let me start by saying that I didn’t like this film. Not for the reason that you may think. Technically this film is awesome. The plot, while predictable at points doesn’t have any obvious holes. The performances are good and believable. The explosions are bone jarring. There is a lot to like about Blood Diamond, but one trump card of a thing to dislike. Let’s start with the good stuff.

Performances

The best part of this film is the actors in it. This is still a well played movie. The performances are spot on and very believable. Solomon (played by Djimon Hounsou) is a powerful character. He’s the kind of father, loving yet fiercely protective that I think all black men should aspire to be. Even though the script is written in such a way that Archer (played by DiCaprio) is the main character, it is Solomon that you really care for as the film progresses. So much so that I didn’t really care too much when Archer died at the end of the film. (I told you there’d be spoilers, but you didn’t listen!)

Why I didn’t like this movie…

Of course the character of Archer is redeemed by the time the credits roll, but he spends so much of the movie being an ass and his motives are so dubious, that it is really hard for me not to think of him as the villain in this film. In my mind, this is a film where the main character is the villain.

Mostly, this is a film about exploitation. The Rebels and the government are exploiting the people. The smugglers are exploiting the rebels and the gov. Event the press, as depicted in this film, is exploiting the people. There is a scene near the middle of the film where a press convoy happens upon an ambulance that has been wrecked by a land mine. Two women lay holding a dying child. The reporters rush out of their vans and begin taking pictures, recording video and broadcasting live from the scene. Only Solomon steps in to help.

This scene is extremely ironic because it is the perfect metaphor for the film in which it appears. Blood Diamond is a fantastic story and an interesting film, chock full of life lessons and “Wow, look at that!” moments. But beneath it’s preachy Hollywood exterior is further exploitation. Unless I missed the press release that stated that the box office profits were going to help the people of Sierra Leone, this film is just another example of Hollywood white faces capitalizing and profiting from the struggles of the people depicted within. Much like the reporters in the aforementioned scene, the film-makers aren’t helping but rather headline (or in this case ticket sale) hunting.

It’s been said that I think too much about things like this and that may very well be true. I’d just like to believe that I’m a realist and I prefer my vices to be transparent. If you’re going to try to make a difference then do it. Donate the profits to aid organizations or set up your own. But if you’re out to make a buck then cut the bull and just do it. Spare me the self congratulatory crap about “insisting that diamonds are conflict-free”. That’s the stupidest piece of advice I’ve ever received. How do you know the diamonds are conflict free? Are you going to trust the salesperson at the mall jewelry store?!?

You don’t know and you can’t know. It’s just a mindless, conscious clearing Hollywood mantra that rich people use to justify their excesses. A better and more useful piece of advice would be “don’t buy diamonds.” That’s the only way to truly be sure there isn’t blood on your hands. But Hollywood doesn’t really want you to curb your consumption, how would they make THEIR money then? To not live lavishly just wouldn’t be American. Let’s just raise awareness and then do… nothing.

Blood Diamond, independent of the politics, is actually a pretty good movie. Unfortunately, I have a very high sensitivity to and a low tolerance for bullshit. This film shoots right past regular hypocrisy. It is analogous to a preacher who teaches the gospels, but steals from the churches coffers. The film-makers tug at our heart strings. They trot some sad looking Africans around on screen, hid behind a noble cause and, once we the movie-goers have bought in, they keep the profits for themselves. Way to make a difference there Hollywood.

Blood Diamond is a film about the bad guys, by the bad guys. It’s a part of the very problem that it’s half-heartedly trying to bring to attention. I know a lot of you are going to hate me for saying that, because I know a lot of you liked this movie. But what can I say? I keeps it real.

–
tweezy
the self proclaimed hip hop zombie.