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by Jonathan McKee and Todd Pearage Rated R for strong violence and language. Directed by Edward Zwick (The Last Samurai, Courage Under Fire, and Legends of the Fall) Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, and Jennifer Connelly Jonathan's Rating: Theatre Worthy Todd's Rating: Rental Blood Diamond is a powerful story of two men from very different worlds who must learn to trust each other and work together to recover a rare pink diamond that will change their lives forever. Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a smuggler from Zimbabwe who has one agenda – himself. Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) is a Mende fisherman who was taken from his family and forced to mine diamonds, where he finds and hides an extraordinary stone. With the help of Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an American journalist, the two men embark on a journey through the dangerous rebel territory to find Solomon's family and recover the diamond. Along the way Archer discovers the second chance he thought he would never have. SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING: These next two paragraphs reveal a little about the character development in the film… you may want to skip reading them if you don’t want to spoil how the film will develop in the end. TODD’S WORD: I like this film. But I spent so much time wanting Archer to be a “good guy,” to be a hero, to do the right thing at the right time. I hate that it took so long for that to happen. On the other hand, Vandy is a man of integrity and honor who, when pushed to his limit, makes a stupid mistake. I found it easy to forgive him and cheer for him to “win.” JONATHAN’S WORD: It’s hard to disagree with someone’s feelings… BUT I DISAGREE WITH YOUR FEELINGS TODD! I think that Leonardo really captured the true essence of Archer’s character. It would have been too quick of a transformation for him to immediately turn his back on his lifelong pursuits. Instead, I think they let us get small glimpses into his tough armor. As we learned more about his horrific childhood, we began to feel compassionate and more forgiving about his rough edges. We also became more excited as we saw him come around. But I do agree with you about Vandy. I liked him from the beginning, warts and all. TODD’S WORD: So much about this movie was done right. The script is strong and clever, the acting is outstanding and the story is moving and powerful. Blood Diamond is rough and gritty, but so is life. As I watched it, I was reminded once again that I am often oblivious to the suffering in our world, and once again my heart broke. There is one particular scene, in which Solomon is reunited with his young son who was taken from the family and trained to be a “solider.” I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’ll just say it had me in tears. (CLICK HERE for a fantastic Movie Clip Discussion for that scene.) Blood Diamond works and works well. JONATHAN’S WORD: I agree wholeheartedly. Yes, like Zwick’s other films (ie: Glory), it was hard to watch at times—the genocide in Africa is a terrible thing. But it’s a marvelous tale of one man’s pursuit to save his family. And most of the audience left the theatre feeling uplifted. SHOULT KIDS SEE IT? Younger kids: No way. It’s rated R for a reason. The violence is very real. Older kids: I think this is a great movie for teenagers to see, especially American teenagers that have a very sheltered world view. What a wake up call. Yes, the language, violence and adult themes are rough, but there are some great issues covered and I thought they handled them well. 
Jonathan McKee, president of The Source for Youth Ministry, is the author of numerous
youth ministry books including the brand new Connect: Real Relationships
in a World of Isolation, and the award winning books Do They
Run When They See You Coming? and Getting Students to
Show Up. He speaks and trains at camps, conferences, and
events across North America, and provides free resources for youth workers internationally on his website,
TheSource4YM.com.
Todd Pearage is a movie buff at heart, but he's not your traditional film critic.
Todd is a blue collar film geek, from his job years ago at Blockbuster to his heartfelt online movie reviews. But
Todd isn't just a film geek. He has worked with middle and high school students since 1991 as a youth pastor in
Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches. Todd and his wife Lynda are both graduates of Philadelphia Biblical
University and have two children, Brianna and Caleb. Todd loves sports and movies and is always up for a good laugh.
He is a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and his favorite movies include Braveheart and Tommy Boy. Todd's reviews
reflect his love for kids and for his family.
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