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Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly. Adventure/Drama. Written by Charles Leavitt. Directed by Edward Zwick.

FILM SYNOPSIS: Leonardo DiCaprio plays Danny Archer a fortune hunter in Sierra Leone during that country’s tumultuous civil war of the 1990s. When Solomon Vandy, an innocent black man is captured during a murderous attack on his village, he is taken from his family and forced to work in a diamond field. While there he is able to hide an extremely valuable diamond. Mercenary Archer learns of the jewel and helps Vandy escape in order to retrieve the stone. With the help of a beautiful journalist, the two attempt to evade capture, regain the hidden jewel, and rescue Vandy’s family.

PREVIEW REVIEW: A fast-paced adventure, Blood Diamond is a rare jewel in itself. Packed with lots of action, beautiful scenery and moving performances, it also contains a redemptive message, and its story salutes honor and family while reminding viewers of the civil war that once nearly destroyed Sierra Leone, Africa. It also poignantly examines the true cost of rare things when corruption and smuggling are apart of their exploitation.

Alas, there’s the R-content. The violence is abundant and graphic, with many examples of bloodlust. Then there’s Mr. DiCaprio’s use of objectionable language. Certainly not as profane as in his last film, The Departed, but there’s enough to help the film garner an R rating. Like every other actor of his generation, DiCaprio only knows how to vocalize frustration and anger by using the f-word, while emphasizing most other moods with a throwaway of Christ’s name.

No matter how often this excessive use of violence and objectionable language is rebuked by both secular and religious reviewers, the physical and verbal carnage in movies continues. Thank goodness there’s no evidence that such portraits are having a desensitizing effect on today’s generation…Uh, huh.

Distributor: Warner Bros.