In 2019, the Safdie Brothers launched an instantaneous basic that begins removed from the chaotic New York the place the film spends most of its time. It begins in Ethiopia, the place miners discover a mesmerizing and probably cursed black opal. From there, we transfer by a employee’s horrific leg harm and out into Adam Sandler, who’s wheeling and dealing in treasured stones.

For millennial viewers, a second film might have come to thoughts: Blood Diamond. Ed Zwick’s 2006 function, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, and Jennifer Connolly, has turn into synonymous with each precise blood diamonds and a now much-decried liberal self-righteousness. Whereas not excellent, it’s a much better film than its fall into obscurity may lead you to consider.

Blood Diamond takes place in 1998, with Invoice Clinton’s sordid affair enjoying out on televisions throughout the globe. In Sierra Leone, what’s way more urgent for fisherman Solomon Vandy (Hounsou) is ensuring his son takes the lengthy journey to highschool every morning. However his priorities change when the Revolutionary United Entrance, a vicious insurgent group combating for management of diamond-rich areas, storms his village.

Whereas his household escapes, Solomon is taken captive by Captain Poison (David Harewood). Escaping the destiny of most RUF prisoners, amputation, Solomon is shipped to a mine. Regardless of fixed surveillance, he’s in a position to disguise an amazing pink diamond. He’s later caught by Poison, however a authorities raid prevents both of them from taking the diamond for themselves. Solomon buries it, and when the 2 are thrown right into a crowded jail, Poison provides a ransom to anybody who can discover the stone.

His problem catches the ear of Danny Archer (DiCaprio), a white Zimbabwean weapons dealer who refers to himself within the outdated colonial fashion as Rhodesian, and is in jail for attempting to smuggle RUF diamonds out of Sierra Leone for mining government Rudolf van de Kaap (Marius Weyers). As soon as a army man, Danny is now a soldier of fortune solely in a fast buck. Listening to Poison’s story, he’s satisfied it should be true.

As soon as out of jail, Archer is rapidly taken with American Maddy Bowen (Connolly) at a resort bar, solely to be disgusted to study that she’s a journalist investigating blood diamonds. Not solely does she threaten his livelihood, however he sees her as a hypocrite, buying and selling on tales of tragedy like he trades stones. However Solomon received’t assist Archer except he can discover his household, and Bowen has entry to information that can assist them, so the three set off collectively to seek out each Solomon’s household and the unbelievable diamond. Alongside the best way, they discover efforts to reverse the RUF’s brainwashing of kid troopers, and Danny’s previous combating within the Rhodesian Bush Struggle in Angola.

So there’s loads occurring right here, which generally is a drawback for so-called “message motion pictures.” A film’s prime perform must be to captivate its viewers with an engrossing story, and the Sierra Leone Civil Struggle doesn’t lend itself to simple narratives. Over 50,000 folks have been killed in a battle lasting eleven years, with the RUF’s atrocities quickly overshadowing any supposed function. Blood Diamond expresses this frustration by Maddy, who angrily needs there was a approach to make Individuals care about vicious violence so far-off.

The film appears like a complete exploration of the battle, shifting from Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, to refugee camps in Guinea and thru the RUF’s youngster soldier coaching camps. Solomon’s son Dia (Kagiso Kuypers) turns into one in every of these troopers, committing atrocities whereas light-hearted music performs within the background. Whereas Dia’s brainwashing is a facet plot, it’s Blood Diamond’s most expressive sequence. The viewers listens to RUF commandos inform kids that medication will make them invincible to bullets and that their dad and mom and lecturers hate them, and also you begin to perceive how they may consider it.

Solomon, Danny, and Maddy comply with by on their quest to seek out Solomon’s household, after which Maddy departs as Danny and Solomon transfer on to seek out the pink diamond. Right here’s the place the film loses steam: After occurring a complete journey as a trio, one other trek begins 90 minutes in. It doesn’t make narrative sense, particularly as this second story additionally tries to cram in racial tensions between Danny and Solomon.

All of it feels a little bit overstuffed, although DiCaprio and Hounso’s performances stay fascinating all through. Blood Diamond is an effective film, nevertheless it might have benefited from narrative improvements DiCaprio would uncover later in his profession with Adam McKay. And whereas the Sierra Leone Civil Struggle is a brutal and complicated battle, a narrower view — like Dia’s perspective within the RUF — may need helped Blood Diamond’s momentum.

Because it stands, Blood Diamond is a little bit lengthy and a little bit meandering. But it surely tells an important story with advanced characters, and it deserves a greater popularity than sinking into obscurity.

Blood Diamond leaves Netflix on December 31.