Blood Diamond
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: December 8, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 39 Critic Reviews
Positive:
24
Mixed:
13
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
VarietyBrian Lowry
Africa's enduring sorrow is ripe for drama, but Blood Diamond is, finally, a fitting metaphor for the gems: Potentially brilliant from a distance, but upon closer inspection, one likely will see the flaws. Read full review
50
Village VoiceNathan Lee
De Beers can relax; the only indignation stirred up by Blood Diamond won't be among those who worry about where their jewelry came from, but with audiences incensed by facile politics and bad storytelling. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
While the film never quite reaches the emotional peaks it so obviously seeks to scale, Zwick's film is still potent enough to save you three months salary. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
There is every reason to learn about the link between jewels and death, by all means, but no reason to try to disguise a term paper as entertainment. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Much like Zwick's "Glory" and "The Last Samurai," Blood Diamond strives to be an "important" film while stopping well short of being genuinely provocative and artistically chancy. Read full review
50
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
While Mr. DiCaprio turns out to be an ideal fit for Blood Diamond, there's an insolvable disconnect between this serious story and the frivolous way it has been told. There is no reason to doubt the filmmakers' sincerity; only their filmmaking. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Thanks to the redundancy, though, Blood Diamond is dramatically diffuse, and at least 30 minutes too long. Thanks to Mr. DiCaprio's raffishly dashing soldier of fortune, the movie is worth watching all the same.
60
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
It's a reasonably entertaining actioner, and Zwick doesn't shy away from depicting violence or the horrors of war, but as a social statement it falls a little short. And emeralds are prettier anyway. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
It's like watching "The Treasure of Sierra Madre" as remade by "Nightline." Read full review
50
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
It's part action film, part buddy movie, part love story, part political tract and, in sum, much less: a meandering, preachy, condescending mess that only occasionally bursts into life and even then at such a tepid level that you can hardly call it living. Read full review
60
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Preachy infotainment that wants to offer thrills, too -- an uneasy hybrid. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
DiCaprio is terrific, but he can't save this lecture from the shame of using Africa as a vehicle for another white man's redemption. Read full review
50
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The one attraction in the picture is DiCaprio's performance: easy yet strong, confident, humorous. Read full review
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