Rewatchables Reference

• Bill: Danny giving Solomon the diamond, saying goodbye, and calling Maddie as he dies on the mountain – potentially 'the best scene of Leo's career'.
• Chris: The escape from Freetown (explosion in the background).
• Also: Solomon finding and hiding the diamond in his foot; Danny meets Maddie at the bar ('In America it's bling bling, but out here it's bling bang').

• Captain Poison (David Harewood) – fantastic performance.
• The child soldier radicalization depiction – done with care across 3-4 small scenes.
• Leo's 2006 as a career year (became the biggest star in the world with Departed + 'Blood Diamond').
• The road movie structure.
• Lab-grown diamonds as a real-world development (Craig's addition).

• Stephen Collins being in the movie (real-life scandal).
• The 'white gaze' – telling an African civil war story through the lens of white characters.
• The chopping hands off scenes (very tough to rewatch).
• Cell phone reception on the mountain in the final scene.
• The Kimberley Process – the movie implies the diamond industry was changed, but that didn't really happen.

• Leo's Rhodesian/South African accent – it comes and goes, especially when yelling or in emotional scenes.
• Bill gives the accent a B plus; Chris says 'he's shooting 70% from the field'.

Bill: The Danny death scene on the mountain is the best scene of Leo's entire career.

Russell Crowe was the other possibility for Danny Archer – they had a chance to get Leo and went with Leo.

• Djimon Hounsou dials it up a couple times.
• David Harewood (Captain Poison / eye patch guy) – 'jacks it up a bunch'.

• David Harewood – Captain Poison; later became the CIA director in Homeland.
• Arnold Vosloo (Colonel Coetzee) – 'that guy from The Mummy'.
• Michael Sheen – 'so oily,' wished there was more of him.

• Danny Archer in 2023: Daniel Kaluuya (the movie would be told through Solomon's perspective).
• Maddie Bowen in 2023: Sydney Sweeney.

• When Danny arrives in South Africa, two women at the airport are Leo's real mother and grandmother.
• The name 'Dia' means 'expensive' in the adapted language of Sierra Leone.
• Jennifer Connelly suffered a bad neck injury filming a car chase scene.
• Leo gained several pounds of muscle and trained with former Rhodesian soldiers.
• De Beers was 'not psyched' about this movie.

• Leo: Still 'Titanic', but 2006 (Departed + 'Blood Diamond') is a 'second Apex Mountain.' A three-apex career.
• Connelly: 'Top Gun' Maverick.
• Hounsou: 'Blood Diamond' itself (Chris's pick – real starring role with a full arc).
• Diamond movies: 'Marathon Man'.

• Leo's facial hair stays perfectly groomed through 8 days in the wilderness.
• Geographic error: Danny should be in a Liberian prison, not Sierra Leonean, based on where he was arrested.
• Solomon flipping out at the refugee camp fence seems too reckless for such a savvy character.
• Maddie saving the day by taking pictures of the soldiers – 'feels a little TV movie-ish'.
• Drinking bottled Guinness in 100-degree heat at a beach bar.

Both agree this has 'prestige TV bones' – could go deeper into the diamond industry, child soldiers.

• What's the best Leo death scene? ('Blood Diamond' vs. 'The Departed' vs. 'Titanic').
• Did Danny and Maddie hook up? (Both say probably not).

• The diamond (obviously).
• Chris: Leo's short-sleeve Hawaiian shirts.
• Bill: Leo's hat (slightly Indiana Jones-esque).

Chris: 'Even if you can help one person, it's enough'.

Chris: Leo (but still thinks he got robbed for 'The Departed' that year).

Leonardo DiCaprio won the movie.

• Craig's first time seeing 'Blood Diamond'. Really liked it.
• Notes these mainstream action films about brutal subjects don't get made anymore.
• His 'what aged the best' addition: lab-grown diamonds.