Today I went to the theatre to see Blood Diamond. I remember when I used to think, "Man, it takes a real loser to go to a movie by himself." Now, that's me. Down in front was a guy in a trench coat, behind me was a lady with two buckets of popcorn and a giant drink, and then there was me. And I must say we all thoroughly enjoyed the movie-going experience.

Leonardo DiCaprio was on the screen. The guy in the trench coat seemed to be excited about his boyish good looks. But in my view, this time Leonardo added a rough edge to his appearance. He looked every bit the outdoors type, with rough beard and rugged demeanor. The British/Dutch/Afrikaneer accent was rather contrived, but quickly forgotten with all the action of the film. I'd consider this a needed breakaway from the long-lived image of Titanic.

So, We Three Kings Of The Afternoon Matinee sat back to enjoy the action-packed thriller. And it does not take long until hands are lopped, blood is splattered, and ten-year-old kids demonstrate deadly proficiency with machine guns. The movie pretends a bit to be a love story, and makes a significant social statement or two, but mostly it is fast-paced blood and gore. DiCaprio plays a swaggering, free-lance adventurer in search of fortune in diamonds. Djimon Hounsou- and I've never heard of him either- is the virtuous father in search of his kidnapped son. And Jennifer Connelly is the beautiful reporter seeking to break the back of the immoral diamond industry- although the most striking thing, to me, about her performance centers upon her unbelievably beautiful eyes. I guess I'm a typical male, but in my opinion she can succeed without acting- just show me those amazing peepers.

Civil War is raging in Sierre Leone, and life is cheap. The carnage is fueled by the thirst of the West for diamonds. And, I'm sure this is a valid scenario. Our Walmart clothing is made in sweatshops by child laborers in Asia. Our gas flows freely because of numerous incursions and acts of warfare, and those are just the things we know. So I have no doubt our beautiful diamonds come from a less than beautiful origin. In this movie, men and women are reduced to slavery to find the precious stones. Fellow countrymen eagerly kill one another to gain the money. And international businessmen encourage the killing to keep the prices low. It's all a rather sad picture of the human condition.

So, where is the hero? It is not DiCaprio, although he steps forward to make a heroic gesture at the close. Honsou is a poor fisherman who rises to magnimity in his determination to find his family. It is easy for those of us in the West to look at the mess that is the African situation, and reduce the people to objects. What's the typical thinking? "This mess has been going on for a hundred years. In spite of their tremendous natural resources, they are steeped in poverty and blood. We'll send our money and missionaries because we feel sorry for them." And with a righteous shake of the head, deep down we'll be tempted to think it is their fault. However, Honsou wonderously presents us with a noble character. He is smart. He is the most virtuous person in the movie. And the elusive diamond never possesses him, unlike DiCaprio. And through this movie we come to realize he is much like we would want to be.

I'll not spoil the ending, as far as the details are concerned It's not necessarily a happy ending, but there is a message of hope. But, like most matters of reality, it is not all tidy and wrapped up.

The acting is good, but not always so. Sometimes DiCaprio reminds me of Indiana Jones, and sometimes of Anybody Jones. Particularly bad is what is supposed to be an emotional, crying scene. Leonardo is waxing sadly about his forlorn life. He begins to cry as his sweetheart caresses him. It is intended to be a touching scene. And it does touch the gag reflex. The whole thing rings of being contrived, and at first makes me wonder if his character is attempting to manipulate the heroine. But no, he is simply doing some bad acting.

The scenery is spectacular.

The portayal of poverty and violence is stark and convincing.

The message of the movie stays with you, and makes you think. That's a good thing.

I recommend Blood Diamond. 8 out of 10 stars.

My next movie, Apocalypto.  Would anybody like to see it with me?  You're invited.  Just don't wear a trench coat.