Photographer, Post-Gazette Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou star in "Blood Diamond."

By Barbara Vancheri, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Women (or men) with dazzling diamonds might be tempted to twist their rings around or tuck their necklaces inside their blouses after seeing "Blood Diamond."

		'Blood Diamond' Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou. Director: Edward Zwick. Rating: R for strong violence and language. Web site: blooddiamond movie.warnerbros.com/ Related articles: What's that diamond's source? Movie rings true for missionary child who was there

At the very least, they may turn a jaundiced eye on the diamonds that wink and blink on the red carpet and in seductive TV commercials this time of year. The movie does not suggest consumers boycott diamonds, just that they be vigilant in asking about their origin.

"Blood Diamond," directed by Edward Zwick ("The Last Samurai," "Glory"), is a drama with harrowing action scenes that look like news footage, a consciousness-raiser and a showcase for Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou. It even casts Jennifer Connelly in a new light, allowing her to leave behind her penchant for playing victims.

"Blood Diamond" is set largely in Sierra Leone in 1999, a time of civil war when "conflict" diamonds, or "blood" diamonds, are being smuggled out and used to buy weapons. As a character says, "In America, it's bling bling. But out here, it's bling bang."

As war rages, rebels kill, kidnap or maim villagers. They wield machetes and ask the barbarous question, "Long sleeve or short sleeve?" before they chop off hands and part of arms. "We take your hands. No hands, no voting," they jeer.

Boys are snatched from their families and turned into cold-hearted soldiers who kill, drink and gamble like their ruthless elders. They're brainwashed to believe they're not children any longer but men and soldiers of the revolution.

One of them is a 12-year-old named Dia, torn from his fisherman father, Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), mother and two sisters. Solomon is enslaved and forced to sift through muddy river water for diamonds. If caught concealing a stone, a worker is shot dead.

Solomon, however, finds a pink diamond the size of a bird's egg and manages to bury it before being hauled away by soldiers to the same jail where Danny Archer (DiCaprio), an ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe, is being held for smuggling.

After Danny is freed, he arranges for Solomon's release so he can pursue the diamond and a life away from Africa, which turned him into an orphan at age 9. The jewel that Solomon hunts is his family, particularly his son who once dreamed of becoming a doctor and of a time when war would be over and his country would be paradise.

Trying to get the goods on conflict diamonds is an American journalist named Maddy Bowen (Connelly), who's smart, gutsy and addicted to a life that takes her from one global hot spot to another. Danny suggests they're in business together since her publication, a Vanity Fair stand-in, benefits from glossy ads for diamonds.

Maddy wants to nail the trail of blood diamonds and insists, "People back home wouldn't buy a ring if they knew it cost someone their hand."

That is the message of the movie, which gives DiCaprio moments of quiet power -- "God left this place a long time ago," he says, near tears -- and Hounsou the chance to mix solemn vows to reunite his family with nearly primal screams of fury, frustration and anguish. The black character in this African drama isn't mere window-dressing, as is sometimes the case.

"Blood Diamond" makes the point that diamonds aren't the only commodity that turn people into victims, refugees or child soldiers. As a weary old man says, "Let's hope they don't discover oil here. Then we'll have real problems."

The 140-minute movie, written by Charles Leavitt who employs a slightly jumpy timeline and fails to flesh out some minor characters, emphasizes that blood diamonds represent a small portion of the jewelry business.

Its update on efforts to curtail conflict diamonds is handled with a brief, unsatisfactory on-screen note. The movie also ends with a reminder that it's up to the consumer to inquire about the source of their purchases.

That's not terribly helpful, but if you go to www.blooddiamondaction.org, you can read or download more information. This is one case in which doing some homework after a movie might not be a bad idea.