I must admit I knew nothing about Sierra Leone and how bad their political condition was, until I watched this film. I did not expect to see massacres, senseless murders and amputations at all. But there it was, right after the opening credits.
This movie is eye-opening also with regard to the diamond trade. This is something we don't even think about, where these diamonds come from, and the political conflicts behind them.
Again, Leonardo diCaprio delivers a quality performance here. I read some posts from actual Rhodesians who say that Leo's accent and manner was 100% spot-on. I was disappointed at first why Leonardo was nominated for this film, rather than for "The Departed", where his acting was also tour-de-force. But after watching BD, I believe this role was more challenging physically and character-wise.
Djimon Hounsou has certainly gone a long way since his debut as the guy in Janet Jackson's great video of "Love Will Never Do (Without You)." He has pretty intense emotional, as well as physical, scenes in BD, which he handled quite well.
The culture of violence developed among the very young children reminded me of "City of God." It was really very disturbing to see these kids drugged and brainwashed to kill at will. Minor quibble here is that the acting of the young actor who played the son was mechanical and unconvincing.
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