History Film / BloodDiamond

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%%* SceneryPorn: Holy crap, Africa is pretty.

* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: The aforementioned ChildSoldiers swear like ''sailors''. Though it is tragic because you know how they learned to curse like that, it can be vaguely funny in a BlackComedy sort of way, [[spoiler:then they get over-excited and shoot the mentor.]]

* ConvenientlyTimedDistraction: Solomon has found a diamond and is trying to steal it before his bosses find out. He gets his first chance when a water pipe burst and he's able to sneak away to hide the diamond. Then when another man catches him burying it, a rebel shootout occurs and Solomon is able to flee in the chaos.

* CaliforniaDoubling: Most of the film was shot in South Africa and Mozambique.

* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: Danny and Colonel Coetzee are former members of 32 Battalion, an infamous light infantry and reconnaissance unit from TheApartheidEra. How badass were they? Suffice to say, an officer from the Battalion eventually went on to found Executive Outcomes, one of the most successful modern Private Military Companies ever, and recruited exclusively ex-32's and other elites.

%%* ArcWords: "This is Africa".

* BlackAndGrayMorality: While the government's soldiers act like dicks at times and we are told that there are attrocities committed on both sides, the film does not show them doing war crimes on the scale of the RUF.

%%* ChildSoldiers: Makes for 1/3 of the anvil.

%%* PapaWolf: Solomon Vandy, of course.

%%** Captain Poison is a more conventional example.

''Blood Diamond'' is a 2006 film about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin blood diamonds]]. It was directed by Edward Zwick and stars Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio, Creator/DjimonHounsou and Creator/JenniferConnelly. Set during the Sierra Leone Civil War in 1999, the film shows a country torn apart by the struggle between government soldiers and rebel forces. It follows two main points of view. Solomon Vandy is a Mende fisherman; his village is attacked and his son taken to be a child soldier, and the rest of his family goes missing while he himself winds up working in a slave camp. Danny Archer is an Anglo-African amoral ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe (though he adamantly keeps referring to it as [[IstanbulNotConstantinople Rhodesia]]) and diamond smuggler. He is arrested trying to smuggle diamonds by using a herd of goats as cover, and meets Solomon while in prison.

* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: The aforementioned ChildSoldiers swear like ''sailors''. Though it is tragic because you know how they learned to curse like that, it can be vaguely funny in a BlackComedy sort of way, [[spoiler:then they get over-excited and shoot TheObiWan.]]

* FreudianExcuse: As a child, Danny witnessed the brutal murder of his parents by the rebels who overthrew Rhodesia and created Zimbabwe, and a rather similar situation is true of the child soldiers he encounters.

* RunningGag: Danny falling asleep in the transport du jour.

* WideEyedIdealist: Solomon, one of the few completely sympathetic characters in the film.
** Kapanay is either this or just too much of a NiceGuy.

** BiggerBad: Van de Kaap.

* FreudianExcuse: As a child, Danny witnessed the brutal murder of his parents by the rebels who overthrew Rhodesia and created Zimbabwe, and [[NotSoDifferent a rather similar situation]] is true of the child soldiers he encounters.

* NotSoDifferent: Danny and Poison both want the diamond so they can get out of Africa.

** In reality, De Beers had no links to Executive Outcomes this time; Executive Outcomes were hired by the Sierra Leonean government for fifteen million dollars (although contrary to popular belief they were not also a mining company and did not receive "diamond mining concessions" or diamonds as payment. They retook the diamond fields the rebels used to raise funds but did not mine there nor take any diamonds from the fields.) Since the U.N. and Clinton Administration pressured the Sierra Leonean government to kick EO out of the country once they had brought peace [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the diamond mines were quickly back in the hands of the rebels as peace collapsed a few months later.]]

** The Airvan is, however, a good representative of the types of single-engine planes common in Africa.

** Partial TruthInTelevision - in stressful situations, even the lamest joke can get those involved busting a gut, since it helps [[GallowsHumor dissipate the emotional strain]]. Of course, it also helped that the joke in question was getting a bit of long-riding tension out in the open.
--> '''Solomon:''' I thought you would try to steal it from me.
--> '''Danny:''' It occurred to me.

* PetTheDog: Some of Captain Poison's displays of kindness to Dia Vandy seem to go beyond simply trying to brainwash him. In particular, [[spoiler:when the helicopter attacks]], he looks like he's trying to shield Dia with his own body.
** Of course, that could also fall into PragmaticVillainy - it'd be hard to extort the information he needs from Solomon if he loses his hostage.

** Captain Poison is a more conventional example.

* ShownTheirWork: The blue-ray release features several documentaries covering the pre-production of the movie, where the filmmakers do everything from talk former child soldiers through their traumas to start a diamond mine - documenting the ''stacks'' of cash they spend on bribes - just so they can say they know what they're talking about.
** And in the movie itself, they avert both BottomlessMagazines and ATeamFiring, [[ShowDontTell subtly showing the difference]] between Danny, a career mercenary, and the disorganized rebels led by Poison.

** Guess what? [[spoiler:He gets shot.]]

* AfricanTerrorists: The RUF.

* AntiHero: Danny.
* ArcWords: "This is Africa".

* BlingBlingBang: TropeNamer.

* ChildSoldiers: Makes for 1/3 of the anvil.

* DeathEqualsRedemption: [[spoiler:Danny.]]

* EarnYourHappyEnding: You sure did, [[spoiler:Solomon]].

* EyepatchOfPower: Captain Poison.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: "This is home. [[spoiler:You'll never leave Africa]]".

* HeroicSacrifice:

* IntrepidReporter: Maddy Bowen.
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler:"I'm the cameraman."]]

* LargeHam: Solomon has his moments (generally when he's angry).
** As does Captain Poison.
* MacGuffin: The diamond, of course.

* NumberTwo: Rupert Simmons to Rudolf van de Kaap

* PapaWolf: Solomon Vandy, of course.

* TheQuest

* SceneryPorn: Holy crap, Africa is pretty.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Constantly attempted or invoked by all sides.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Many, possibly even Captain Poison.

* TestedOnHumans: The RUF's weapons.

* TheObiWan: Benjamin meets Danny, challenges his world view, [[spoiler:and is non-fatally shot]], all within ten minutes.

** And in the movie itself, they avert both BottomlessMagazine and ATeamFiring, [[ShowDontTell subtly showing the difference]] between Danny, a career mercenary, and the disorganized rebels led by Poison.

* BigBadEnsemble: Poison and Coatzee, who are on opposite sides of the war but nonetheless post the biggest threats to Vandy and Archer, respectively.

* BigBad: Poison.
** BiggerBad: Colonel Coetzee and Van de Kaap.

* RefugeInAudacity: Maddie defuses a stand-off with a local militia by convincing them to take some photos with her.
** Also is TruthInTelevision, as renowned South African photographer Greg Marinovich detailed a very similar experience in his memoirs; when he found himself confronted by a group of Zulu workers, he defused the situation by offering to take photographs of them.

** In reality, De Beers had no links to Executive Outcomes this time; Executive Outcomes were hired by the Sierra Leonean government for fifteen million dollars (although contrary to popular belief they were not also a mining company and did not receive "diamond mining concessions" or diamonds as payment. They retook the diamond fields the rebels used to raise funds but did not mine there or take any diamonds from the fields.) Since the U.N. and Clinton Administration pressured the Sierra Leonean government to kick EO out of the country once they had brought peace [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the diamond mines were quickly back in the hands of the rebels as peace collapsed a few months later.]]

* PrivateMilitaryContractors: And from an absurdly powerful company too, with at least a transport plane and a gunship. Most likely based on Executive Outcomes, which was even more absurdly powerful and did fight in the Sierra Leone conflict.

** In reality, De Beers had no links to Executive Outcomes this time; Executive Outcomes were hired by the Sierra Leonean government for fifteen million dollars (although contrary to popular belief they were not also a mining company and did not receive "diamond mining concessions" or diamonds as payment. They retook the diamond fields the rebels used to raise funds but did not mine there or take any diamonds from the fields.) Since the U.N. and Clinton Administration pressured the Sierra Leonean government to kick EO out of the country once they had brought peace the diamond mines were quickly back in the hands of the rebels as peace collapsed a few months later.

** "I am the...cameraman".

* ContrivedCoincidence: [[spoiler:Solomon's son happens to be in the rebel camp right where Poison was told the diamond would be. [[InvokedTrope This is because Poison specifically brought him there as bait]].]]