Blood Diamond: Bling, Bang and Boy Soldiers

Before I start, did I mention I was heading through Brentwood High Street, a few days ago, and saw a poster in a perfume shop … ?

You see a lot of posters in perfume shops, I know.

But the one in question struck me as mildly funny.

Well, ok, hysterically funny.

Because it was for a perfume called Never Mind the B@!!*‹%s, Here’s the Sex Pistols.

I’ve still got a persistent thought in my mind, even now: that if John Lydon — Mr Rotten, as was — were dead, he’d be spinning in his grave.

Or, at the very least complaining that McLaren had had ’em over again … !

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At any rate, cheap perfumes are kind of a side issue, aren’t they … ?

Possibly …

At any rate, I’ve got to admit, Movie Night Adrian and I had something a quiet movie night, tonight: bless, Squeak and Big Josh were over at Big J’s fathers place, Kevin D, bless him, was knackered after a hard day’s night.

And Kay and her fella, Rob, couldn’t make it, either … !

Which is a shame, I think they’d’ve enjoyed tonight’s film …

The 2006, Ed Zwick directed, thriller film, Blood Diamond.

Which I’ve got to admit, isn’t maybe the best paced film of it’s length — 2 hours and 17 minutes — that I’ve seen.

But does manage to make a very good attempt to keep moving.

And maybe make a point or two at the same time, so maybe I can let that go …

Set during Sierra Leone’s mid-1990’s civil war, Blood Diamond sees Solomon Vandy*, a Mende fisherman who’s captured — at the film’s start — by troops from the rebel Revolutionary United Front, and enslaved to work in the country’s diamond mines.

Actually, if you didn’t know, by now, this is where Blood Diamond gets its name: the diamonds in question are ones that are mined, polished and exported illegally, usually from African warzones, and sold on in order to keep funding the war in the areas they’re from. Usually, by both sides in the war.

And never mind the civilian population killed, enslaved or mutilated in the process.

Which is where the story really kicks off: whilst captured, Solomon manages to find — and hide — a seriously large rough diamond. One that he manages to hide, before being released, to a local friendly jail run by Sierra Leone’s government.

Where he runs into Danny Archerº, a Rhodesian mercenary and diamond smuggler. Who decides to help, after realising exactly how big the hidden stone is …

And both men are helped by Maddy Brownª, a campaigning journalist determined to try and bring the trade in diamonds to an end, having seen the suffering the trade causes: and very aware that her home country is one of the largest diamond markets on the planet …

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Now, other’s have explained the plot a lot better than me.

But I think that this is definitely worth seeing.

It’s a nicely acted, beautifully crafted film, if a touch unevenly paced for its length.

But — even though it’s fictional — does attempt to make us aware of conflict diamonds.

Actually, there’s probably others substances, as well: after all, I can’t help but wonder exactly how much heroin money ended up funding the various factions of Taliban … ?

I’m also aware that Adrian was thinking that there’s one or two rare metals — only available from Africa — that make up some of the hardware we use, daily, in various forms of electronic hardware, that gets out of the continent, in much the same way: I do know there’s a lot of information out on the ’Net about illegally disposed of e-waste.

I also know that — in the post-match natter — we both agreed that a certain amount of moralising can be …

If not pointless, then certainly unhelpful.

He’s got a point, I’m thinking: after all, we can only complain about something, if we’ve tried to do something about it.

Even if it’s only on the level of buying fairtrade teabags.

* Beautifully played by Djimon Hounsou, I should add, here.

º Leonardo DiCaprio.

ª Jennifer Connelly.

Body of Lies: Nobody’s Innocent …

Hmmm …

I don’t know if we’ve seen a good film, or not.

As you know, myself and whoever else wants to come along, have been watching a few movies, over the past few months.

Tonight’s film was a bit of a novelty for me; the Ridley Scott directed “Body of Lies”.

Which is … good …

I think.

Although not usually something that would — out of the box — grab my attention.

Normally, about the only time I’m guaranteed to to catch a spy thriller is if it’s a Bond movie; and the political thriller sub-genre usually

Body of Lies is a bit of a novelty for me, although I know Adrian goes for them more than I do.   It’s a film that — for me — doesn’t necessarily convince me to watch others in the genre, although I did find myself entertained.

Especially by Mark Strong’s performance as Jordanian intelligence chief, Hani Salaam.

Body of Lies is riveting to watch, for his performance alone.

Have you sometimes read a book, and thought that such and such an actor would be perfect as one of the characters in it?

There’s a scene , early in Body of Lies where Strong, as Salaam, is … persuading … a minor character to work as an undercover plant for Jordanian intelligence, to demonstrate to Leonardo DiCaprio’s character how these things should be done.

And doesn’t do it by threats.

Or bribery.

No.

He sets up the  character’s mother in a new flat.

TV, an indoor toilet, all the mod cons; and makes sure the character in question knows that his mother has her dutiful son to thank.

Salaam makes it very clear what’ll happen, if the job offer isn’t taken up …

My first thought was “Ooh, NASTY!”.

My second was of a Terry Pratchett character, called Lord Havelock Vetinari, who is the ruler of the Disc’s largest city state.

And much like a benevolent version of the Doges of Venice, Nicolò Machiavelli, and Cesare Borgia.   

Cunning, in other words.

What got me thinking that way, was part of Vetinari’s backstory.

When he took over as ruler, he legalised the various thieves guilds, and cut down crime overnight.   

Then got all the crime guild leaders together to gently remind them that he knew where they lived.

Where their children went to school.

Where their wives had their hair done …

Now, as Adrian pointed out, this scene could well be put down to the film’s highlighting  Western cultural values are very different to Arabic ones.

Scott shows us by contrasting Strong’s character with Russell Crowe’s; DiCaprio’s boss, Ed Hoffman, who I found reminiscent of  certain former US president.

Which it does, and quite nicely, too.

But I’d’ve not necessarily watched it, just by going by the box …

If I’d seen that clip, though …