After centuries of raping Africa for its resources, now we exploit its misery for our amusement. Numerous films of varying degrees of sincerity and accomplishment — Hotel Rwanda, The Constant Gardener, The Last King of Scotland, Catch a Fire — have recently turned that continent’s nightmare into entertainment. Edward Zwick’s latest might be more cynical than most. During the 1991 Sierra Leone civil war, raiders wipe out the village of fisherman Solomon (Djimon Hounsou), scattering his family and enslaving him in a diamond mine. There he finds a priceless gem and hides it. Another attack sets him free (this is the kind of movie where war serves as a plot device when it’s not serving as background) and he meets up with Danny (Leonardo DiCaprio), a mercenary. Will Danny be redeemed by Maddy (Jennifer Connelly), the American journalist, and help Solomon find his family? Will Africa ever know peace? You’ll guess the answer to one of these questions long before the movie’s over.
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