Blood Diamond

BLOOD DIAMOND (2006) - Dec. 4, 2006
About a man who is separated from his family and forced to sift for diamonds, and who subsequently finds a giant diamond and hides it. He's then convinced by a diamond smuggler to dig it up and sell it. The bulk of the movie basically consists of the two men traveling across the country in an attempt to retrieve the diamond, and the many obstacles they encounter on the way. The main problem here is that the movie is seriously overlong, and feels that way for almost the entire running-time of the film. Several scenes feel either too long, or entirely superfluous. It also tends to be a bit on the preachy side (we get it, they've got it bad over there). It's well made and well acted (Djimon Hounsou gives a particularly impressive performance), but yeah, too long and too preachy. **1/2