Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Warner Bros., Virtual Studios, Spring Creek Productions, The Bedford Falls Company, Initial Entertainment Group, LSG Productions, Liberty Pictures, Lonely Film Productions GmbH & Co. KG.

Blood Diamond

HBO Max original film Blood Diamond was released December 8th, 2006.

#BloodDiamond cleared $171.7M at the international box office.













rottentomatoes: 63%

metacritic: 64

imdb: 8.0

oscars: 5 nominations

golden globes: 1 nomination

SAG awards: 2 nominations



Danny Archer, Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Warner Bros., Virtual Studios, Spring Creek Productions, The Bedford Falls Company, Initial Entertainment Group, LSG Productions, Liberty Pictures, Lonely Film Productions GmbH & Co. KG., Leonardo DiCaprio

Danny Archer

Danny Archer catches wind of a 100 karat $50M pink diamond in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Danny Archer, Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Warner Bros., Virtual Studios, Spring Creek Productions, The Bedford Falls Company, Initial Entertainment Group, LSG Productions, Liberty Pictures, Lonely Film Productions GmbH & Co. KG., Leonardo DiCaprio

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

1 nomination: 2007

Best Actor – Motion Picture – Drama

1 nomination: 2007

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

1 nomination: 2007

“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine, huh? Listen, you take off as soon as I’m out the door. You don’t land until I raise you on the sat phone, huh? Don’t worry, they want these guns too much to do anything stupid.” — Danny Archer

“Where is Commander Zero? Right. Right, I’ve seen your films, huh? I’m looking for Commander Zero, huh? I’m here to do business with Commander Zero, all right? All right. You are the man, huh? You are the man. Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh. Here. Huh? Commander Zero! It’s fine, huh? It’s fine. Commander Zero! Commander Zero! Hm? And Yusef gets something for me, huh? Are you craze? You get for pay me first for them.” — Danny Archer

“These no fine, huh? These no fine. Then your boys can use those crummy AK’s against the government’s troops… …and them new weapons them, huh? Then you’d get one more dead-a body, instead of aeroplane way full with grenade launchers. So then I go-go to them government, huh? Then government, at least them go pay me, huh? Yah. Yah, yah.” — Danny Archer

“Danny Archer, National Geographic. I-I’ve got a letter from the Minister of Interior and a Liberian visa as well. I’m doing a story on the Maraquez, who, as you know, are allowed to cross the border in order to get into grazing veldts. Have you ever, uh, read, National Geographic, huh?” — Danny Archer

“No, no, no. Listen here, my friend, listen here, all right? I am good friends with Colonel Kutzia. Colonel Kutzia would not be pleased that you’ve interfered with his business. Now, you know who I am, all right? You don’t want to make trouble for me or my friends, all right? Now, look, why don’t I just look the other way, all right? You take one or two of those stones and get something for the wife, or maybe the mistress. All right? We’ll solve the problem right here, huh?” — Danny Archer

“Please tell me you brought me cigarettes, man– please? Forget the colonel. There’s a fisherman in there, all right? He might’ve found a pink. Big one. Screw the colonel. I’m gonna contact our friends in London. If this stone is as big as I think, we’re gonna need a real buyer, all right? What? Hmm? What? ‘Arrested Sierra Leone– Daniel Archer, former mercenary, smuggler…’ blah, blah, blah, blah. ‘Retains close ties to Van De Kaap diamond cartel, although sources say they deny any affiliation whatso…’ aah! Fucking hell! Listen, his name is Solomon Vandy, all right? Van De Kaap is gonna want that stone, whatever they say. You just get him out. Get him out!” — Danny Archer

“Yeah, can you tell Mr. Simmons that Danny Archer called? Right. A-R-C-H-E-R. Yeah. Afternoon, darling, huh? Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that one before. Not now. Next time. I said, not now. Next time. Bugger off!” — Danny Archer

“Body fine, M’Ed. The best you can get ahold of, all right? All right. I hear they took Marumpa yesterday. Oh, come on, you know damn well every move they make– when are they gonna hit us, huh? Yeah, yeah. Got any smokes back there? Who’s that, huh? All right.” — Danny Archer

“Can I offer you a cigarette? Mm. When was the last time the world wasn’t falling apart, huh? Danny Archer. Nice to meet you. American, huh? Well, Americans usually are. I’m from Rhodesia. Do we? Mm. So don’t tell me you’re here to make a difference, huh? I’m here for lack of a better idea.” — Danny Archer

“Not really. Peace Corps types only stay around long enough to realize they’re not helping anyone. Government only wants to stay in power until they’ve stolen enough to go into exile somewhere else, and the rebels… they’re not sure they want to take over, otherwise, they’d have to govern this mess. But TIA– right, M’Ed? ‘This is Africa,’ huh?” — Danny Archer

“You want another? Hm. Am I? How about soldier of fortune? Or is that too much of a cliché. What if I told you I was a missionary? Better watch that type of talk, Miss Bowen. You know, in America, it’s bling-bling, but out here, it’s bling-bang, eh? I wouldn’t want you getting in any trouble. You’re a journalist. Piss off, huh? I’m shocked. Wh-What do you want from me, huh? Well, off the record, I like to get kissed before I get fucked, huh?” — Danny Archer

“Cordell. Long time, pal. How’s Alice? Tim must be in school, right? Yeah, yeah. Ach, well, you know the bush, right, bruh? Company doing well? Mm. Mm. So, what… you’re here on holiday, huh? How’s the colonel? Good, good. Score us a loose, huh? Ah… only if I live, right? That’s for breaking my TV, bruh. Tell the colonel he’ll get his money. I’ll come see him soon.” — Danny Archer

“There you go. Ach, what are you gonna do? Shoot me right here? Huh, chana?” — Danny Archer

“Colonel. Clean living and a pure heart, I suppose, huh? So you sell the rebels the weapons, and the government hires you and they use them. Nice, sir. I assume you’re asking for mining concessions, huh? And you get rich, right? I was, uh, I was 19, sir. Just, uh… lucky, I guess. Yes, sir. Yes, you did. Some might call it that, yeah. Sir… look, you think if I found a stone like that, I’d still be on this continent? Come on. If you say so, sir.” — Danny Archer

“So what did you do? Bury it? Yeah. Yeah, I would have buried it, huh? What am I talking about? Come on, bruh. Pink, huh? The biggest one he’d ever seen. You were in the mining camps, weren’t you, bruh? Why else would that rebel commander with the bandaged arm make up such a story, huh?” — Danny Archer

“How’s it, bruh? You got something for me, huh? So what’s new, man? Shit, man. Half the people be soldiers today, RUF tomorrow. Might be time to get your family out, huh? All right.” — Danny Archer

“How ’bout you dance with me? Neither do I. Come on. Mm. Archer. Mm… maybe I wasn’t breast fed as a child, huh? I think you get off on people like me. Mm… Christ, you never stop, do you? Why don’t we go back to your place, see what’s in the minibar, huh? Look, people here kill each other as a way of life. It’s always been like that. Maybe we should all just write about it then. Look, thanks for the dance, huh?” — Danny Archer

“And a shot, too, huh, M’Ed? Tell me something. How long you been here in Africa, huh? You come here with your laptop computer and your malaria medicine, and your little bottles of hand sanitizer. Think you’re gonna change the outcome, huh? Let me tell you something. You sell blood diamonds, too. Yeah. Who do you think buys the stones that I bring out? Dreamy American girls who all want a storybook wedding a big, shiny rock. Just like the ones they see in the advertisements of your politically correct magazine. So, please, don’t come here and make judgments on me, all right? I provide a service. The world wants what we have and they want it cheap. We’re in business together. Get over yourself, darling.” — Danny Archer

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna try and sell it yourself. To who and for what price, my friend? You need my help whether you like it or not, huh? You hear that? You hear that? They came into the city over night. It’s started. What are you going to do now, huh? Listen, the right stone can buy anything. Information, safety, even freedom. But a big stone does not stay secret for very long. The moment you tell anyone about it, your life is absolutely worthless. The only reason you’re still alive is because you haven’t told anyone where it is. Am I right? Am I? Who do you think got you out of jail, huh? That makes us partners! What if I helped you find your family? The relief agencies are useless. The hospitals are overwhelmed. There are other ways, bruh. Look at me. I know people, huh? White people. Without me, you’re just another black man in Africa, all right? Shit.” — Danny Archer

“Got no time. What’s it gonna be, bruh? I don’t give a fuck about you, all right? That diamond could be priceless. We split it and you get your family. What’s it gonna be, yes or no? Yes or no?! Come on, follow me! Stay low! Wait! Now! Come on! Come on! Come on! No, this way! Fuck! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Shit! This way. This way. Stay low. Come on, come on, come on. Come on!” — Danny Archer

“That bridge is the only way across, huh? You are RUF, huh? I am your prisoner. You want to see your son again, don’t you? You stay behind me.” — Danny Archer

“Lungi’s under government control. I’m going to try to locate a sat phone to get in contact with my pilot, all right? You’re in a bit of a conundrum there, my friend. You know what that means? It means you have no choice.” — Danny Archer

“So you’re a fisherman, huh? What, what do you catch mostly? Come on. Hello, my man. Listen, I’m from the Cape Herald, all right? My wallet, my credentials, everything to left in Freetown. We barely got out with out lives. Can we just get through, huh? I’m trying to get us to Kono. Do you understand that? Huh?” — Danny Archer

“How is it, my bruh? Have you got an extra smoke? Oh, cheers. Listen, I’m looking for someone. An American by the name of Maddy Bowen. If you saw her, you would not forget it. Is it? Listen, can you tell her Danny Archer’s looking for her? I’ve got the story she wants. Ah, magic. Listen, we’ll be right down the road, huh? Cheers, bruh.” — Danny Archer

“Yes. Hello again. This is Solomon Vandy. I understand. Come with me, huh? All right, here it is. There’s a company called Tierra Diamonds, huh? They get the stones that I smuggle into Liberia. Now, Van De Kaap has no visible ties to Tierra, but through a series of cross holdings and offshore bank accounts, they actually own it. If you help me out, yeah. Before you say anything, look at that man. You see him? His entire village was burned down. His wife and children, they… they got away. He’s been working in the mining camps. He’s been trying to get his family back, but he cannot get through all the red tape. All I’m asking is this– that you help him, huh?” — Danny Archer

“I know him, I know him. I am using him and you are using me. And this is how it works, isn’t it? Come on, you’ve got access to UN databases. You can track his family for him.” — Danny Archer

“Oh, Christ. They’ll shoot you! They’ll shoot you! They’ll shoot you! Do you want your wife and child to watch you die?” — Danny Archer

“You say the mine is on the Sewa River. Where exactly? Solomon? Yeah, but I do. Look. We are down here, huh? The press convoy is on its way to Kono. You see, the diamond mine is up here. Where did you bury it? When we get to Kono, we’re going to have to walk, all right? You damn well better be able to find it.” — Danny Archer

“‘In the 90-degree heat, Solomon Vandy drops to his knees, rattling the wire with is powerful hands.’ Nothing.” — Danny Archer

“Hmm. Wow. Do you know that Solomon thinks his son’s going to be a doctor one day? Maybe his baby dies in that camp. Maybe his daughter gets raped. Who knows? Maybe both. Do you realize that that diamond is the only chance he has of getting his family out of here?” — Danny Archer

“Do you understand that? Listen, I need to get to Kono, all right? The only way is with the press convoy. I’m a journalist and he’s my cameraman, all right? Please, Maddy, please.” — Danny Archer

“After I smuggle the stones across the border… …local buyers get them to a middleman in Monrovia. He pays off customs, who then certifies the diamonds were mined in Liberia. That way they can be legally exported. Now, once they’ve reached the buyers in Antwerp, diamonds are brought to the sorting tables. No more questions are asked. By the time they get to India, dirty stone are mixed with the clean stones from all over the world. And then they become like any other diamonds.” — Danny Archer

“Yeah. When I get to London, I meet with Simmons. Supply and demand. You control the supply and you keep the demand high. Now… there’s an underground vault where they put all the stones they buy up to keep off the market, so they can keep the price high. The rebels want to flood the market with a billion dollars worth of rock– a company like Van De Kaap, who says that they’re rare, they can’t afford to let that happen– especially when they’re telling some poor sod who’s supposed to shell out three months’ salary for an engagement ring. Technically speaking, they’re not… they’re not financing the war, but they’re creating a situation where it pays to keep it going. You understand?” — Danny Archer

“Names, dates, and numbered accounts, hmm? Publish one word of this story before I give them the stone and I’m dead, huh? After I give it to them, then ptth! I’ll leave this continent forever. Then write whatever you want. I’m already dead.” — Danny Archer

“Now, remember… all you say is, ‘I am the cameraman.’ All right? Why not? Of course you’re not. Because you do. Because that’s how you get your damn son back, all right? Now get on the bus, go.” — Danny Archer

“What? Yeah? Uh-huh. All right, calm down. Little frantic now, huh? Get back on the bus! Get back on! Come on! Move it! Move it! Get back on the bus! Solomon! Solomon! Solomon, come here! Go! Go! Go! Come on, come on. Get on the bus. Move, move, move, move! Come with us. Come on, come on! Move! Let’s go! What if we just take your place, huh? What if we take your place? Mm.” — Danny Archer

“Get down! Shit! You all right? Hold on! Hold on! Come on. Everyone all right? You okay? All right. Quietly now. Quietly. Come on. Commodores. Local militia protecting their homes, huh? Yeah.” — Danny Archer

“So do you think you’ve read your work? Danny Archer. This is, uh, this is Maddy Bowen. What’s your excuse? So, you’re an action junkie, huh? You were good today. You know that?” — Danny Archer

“Cheers. So how many attacks have there been in the area. So you think because your intentions are good they’ll spare you, huh? No. I’d say they’re just people.” — Danny Archer

“It’s palm wine. Yeah, yeah, it takes getting used to. Drank that as a boy. The Shona. The Shona have a word for me. Mukiwa. It means ‘white boy in Africa.’ I didn’t leave. I got sent away to South Africa in 1978, when the munts overran us. Yeah, yeah, I did my time in Angola. That’s right. You know, contrary to what you might think about us, we fought with the blacks, huh? Yeah. Side by side. There was no apartheid in the foxhole. The colonel always used to tell us that. Yeah. Then, of course, it’s 1994– no more army, no more apartheid. Truth and reconciliation and all of that rubbish, you know? Kum ba ya. We fought and died together, you know? Black and white. Most people back home didn’t even know we were at war. We thought we were fighting Communism, but in the end, it was all about who gets what, you know? Ivory, oil, gold– ptth! Diamonds.” — Danny Archer

“So one day, I decided fuck it, you know? I’m going to get mine. Hmm. That diamond is my ticket out of this godforsaken continent. You Americans, you Americans love to talk about your feelings, huh? So wh-what does that mean? You’ve got a thing for messed-up vets now? That’s a polite way of putting it, yeah. Mum was raped and shot, and uh… dad was decapitated and hung from a hook in the barn. I was nine. Boo-hoo, right? Sometimes I wonder… …will God ever forgive us for what we’ve done to each other? Then I look around, and I realize… God left this place a long time ago. It’s, uh… ah, what’s the point, huh?” — Danny Archer


Solomon Vandy, Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Warner Bros., Virtual Studios, Spring Creek Productions, The Bedford Falls Company, Initial Entertainment Group, LSG Productions, Liberty Pictures, Lonely Film Productions GmbH & Co. KG., Djimon Hounsou

Solomon Vandy

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

1 nomination: 2007

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

1 nomination: 2007

“Dia. Don’t want to be late. Every day. Just like you. So you can become a doctor; not mend the nets like your father… now get out of bed before I tan your behind with my fishing rod. Oh…

“Uh-uh. And all this, you learned in one day? Oh, this is too much learning. Tomorrow you will stay home and mend the nets, yes? What? Oh, so now you want to go to school every day? Huh? Huh? Huh? Dia! Stay! Stay! Come, come, come. Dia! Run!”

“Boss? Boss. I want go toilet. I must go now-now. I can’t hold it in, boss. I am not a rebel! I am not R.U.F.!”

“You’re mad. I do not know you. You are crazy! You are crazy! Where is the diamond?! Do you see a diamond? Huh? You dare yourself to kill my family, my home– and I lost everything! Here, look! What is left? What is left?! If there is a diamond, then you are the one who must have got it!”

“What do you want?”

“Please… I must talk to someone. My family’s name is not on the list. I have been to Kissy, and Waterloo, and Port Loko, and– excuse me, sir, my name is Solomon… I have checked the list, sir. Sir, I have filed papers with the office. Please, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir. No, please.”

“What are you talking about? I’m late for work. Go ask him.”

“What are you talking about? I am not your partner! What do you know of my family? Liar.”

“You will say anything! How can I trust you? Wha-wh-where do we go? Sh! Sh! Sh! It’s okay. It’s okay, it’s okay. Shh, shh…”

“Is there another way? So what do we do? What do you mean? Wait, wait, wait…”

“Where are we going? I have agreed to nothing.”

“Fish. But you are not a journalist. It is as I said. You will say anything.”

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

“My family’s here, in Guinea? I do not know how to thank you.

“Jassie. Jassie! Jassie! Jassie. Jassie… Jassie… Jassie… Delilah. Oh, Jassie. Where is Dia? Dia? Dia? Dia? Where is Dia? Where is my son? Jassie! Where is my son? Where is my son? Where’s my son? Where is my son?! Where is my son?! Let them out! Let them out! Let them out! Let them out! Let them out! Jassie!”

“What you want, Mr. Archer, is beyond those hills, where I buried it.”

“I do not need a map. My son is a very good student. He walks five kilometers to the sisters’ school every morning, to study English. He’s going to be a doctor one day.”

“Listen. I cannot do this. Because I am not a journalist. Well, then how can I say I am? I am the cameraman.”

“You are writing about what is happening here? So, when people in your country read it, they will come help us, yes?”

“Let me inside!”

“Do not look them in the eye. Yeah. We are friends. We are not R.U.F.! We are not government! We are friends. I am Solomon Vandy, from Shenge. He– she is… they are journalists. I’m the, uh, uh, cameraman.”


Maddy Bowen, Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Warner Bros., Virtual Studios, Spring Creek Productions, The Bedford Falls Company, Initial Entertainment Group, LSG Productions, Liberty Pictures, Lonely Film Productions GmbH & Co. KG., Jennifer Connelly

Maddy Bowen

“Oh, no, thanks. You listening to this? The world is falling apart and all we hear about is ‘Blow Jobs Gate.’ Hmm… a cynic. Why don’t you sit down and make me miserable? Maddy Bowen. Pleased to meet you. Guilty. Says the white South African? We say Zimbabwe now, don’t we? Last time I checked. And you’re here to make a buck? That’s a shame.”

“What’s ‘TIA?’ Right. Sure.”

“So… which one are you? The smuggler? Somehow you don’t strike me as the UNICEF type. Diamonds? For Van De Kaap? How much trouble do you think I would get into for talking about diamonds? That’s right. For five years, this country has reported almost no diamond exports, while Libera, right next door, has exported $2 billion worth. Very odd, considering that Liberia has no diamonds to speak of. Now, Van De Kaap denies trading in blood diamonds, but admits its nearly impossible to tell where a diamond comes from. Unless… their smuggler gets caught. You know all about Van De Kaap. Help me out. Off the record. Shit.”

“Hi. I’m Maddy Bowen. No, I don’t dance. So, Danny… Archer. When did you first start moving stones. Was it Angola? Then you did the whole, um, mercenary thing. Was that fun? So what are you? Nihilist? Opportunist? Think I haven’t met people like you before? You think? When did you first start working for Van De Kaap? No. I never stop. Do you want me to stop, hmm? I’m a print journalist. I drank it. Is it possible that you don’t care how many people die because of the deals you do? So you can just watch it and go about your day?”

“You’re a hard case, huh? Three months. And before that, Afghanistan and Bosnia. Really? Tell me, how is that? Just to clarify, not all American girls want a storybook wedding, just like not all Africans kill each other as a way of life. And, yeah, it’s a shit, shit world, but you know what? Good things are done every day. Just apparently not by you. This place is about to explode. I’m going to spend my time with someone else.”

“You don’t mind waiting? Thank you so much. Just be a sec. Hey. You got out. Hi. So, um, I’m on deadline. I’ve been waiting four hours to use a phone. I’ve got someone holding my place in line. Right. And you can prove this? Right. Here it comes. And how do you know this man?”

“Oh, come on, Archer. You’re using him. Why? This whole country’s at war. Why should I help just one person? Ah… I can’t believe I just said that.”

“Yes. According to the manifest.”

“Thank you. Thank you! This is what a million people looks like. At the moment, the second largest refugee camp in Africa. Might catch a minute of this on CNN… somewhere between sports and weather.”

“Hello. I’ve spoken with Colonel Kudu. And highlighted the names we’re looking for. Okay, thank you. An entire country made homeless.”

“There are only two children listen on the manifest.”

“They said they’re concerned that some of the refugees might be rebels, so they refuse to release them until there’s a cease fire. I’m so sorry, Solomon.”

“What? Do you think I’m exploiting his grief? You’re right. It’s shit. It’s like one of those infomercials. You know? With little black babies with swollen bellies and flies in their eyes. So here, I’ve got dead mothers. I’ve got severed limbs, but it’s nothing new. And it might be enough to make some people cry if they read it, maybe even write a check, but it’s not going to be enough to make it stop.”

“I am sick of writing about victims, but it’s all I can fucking do. Because I need facts. I need names, I need dates, I need pictures, I need bank accounts. People back home wouldn’t buy a ring if they knew it cost someone else their hand. I can’t write that story until I get facts that can be verified. Which is to say, until I find someone who will go on record. So if that is not you, and you’re not really going to help me, and we’re not really going to screw, then why don’t you get the fuck out of my face and let me do my work?”

“You don’t give a rats ass… …about his family. No. No!”

“Go on. And Van De Kaap knows about all this? Yes.”

“What if you don’t come out with the diamond?”

“Yes. Probably not.”

“Whatever you say, corporal.”

“Look out! Fine! Yeah, fine. Yeah.”

“Excuse me. Hi, I’m Maddy Bowen with Vital Affairs magazine. I wonder if I could take your picture. Let me just get my camera out. I, um, I’ve heard about your struggle, and I’d love to know more about it– would you mind if I, if I took your picture? Maybe everyone could come together? Everyone could all come in together, and I can get all of you… is that okay? If everyone could come closer? You come over here and come in nice and close. That’s good. Yeah. That’s great, and we’ll get one with all of us. There you go. Hmm… how about one together? Us together? What do you think? One like this. Yeah? Cheese.”

“Shut up. Uh… that’s right. Yeah, from New York, from America. I don’t have anything for you. Ah, very well, thank you.”

“Imagine doing all this, huh? Well, it’s gotten hard to go back to sipping lattes and talking interest rates. Three out of five ex-boyfriends recently polled say that, uh, I prefer to be in a constant state of crisis. Maybe I just give a shit. You, too.”

“Jesus Christ. God. In Rhodesia? I’ll take notes. When did you leave? Then you joined the army? The three-two battalion. This is Colonel Kutzia?”

“You going to steal this diamond? That doesn’t answer the question. My dad came home from the war in ’69. And it took him… about 20 years to get right. What? Shut up. You lost both your parents.”

Captain Poison, Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Warner Bros., Virtual Studios, Spring Creek Productions, The Bedford Falls Company, Initial Entertainment Group, LSG Productions, Liberty Pictures, Lonely Film Productions GmbH & Co. KG., David Harewood

Captain Poison

“Bring forward the next one! Bastard! Bring forward the next one! Young man, young man! You must understand– the government wants you to vote. Okay? And they’ll tell you, sir, the future is in your hands. We now the future! So we take your hands! No more hands, no more voting! Chop him! Spread the word! The Revolutionary United Front is coming! RUF!”

“Bring forward the next one! Bring him forward! Bring him forward! Chop him! Hold on, hold on, wait, wait, wait, wait! Put him in the truck. Bring him to the mines. He can work, he can work. Move! Move, move, move! Next one! Next one! Next one!”

“The Freetown government and their white masters have raped your land to feed their greed! RUF have freed you! No more slave and master here. RUF is fighting for the people! RUF is fighting for Sierra Leone! Any bastard think he will joke with my diamond, I’ll go cut his throat! Stop! Give it to me.”

“Stop! Spread your fingers. Open. Make it quick. Give it to me. Huh? Give it to me. Go, go, go, go, go!”

“Hey… what did you do with it? I’m talking to you! Yeah, me! Where the diamond? The pink one. I saw you take it. Liar! I saw it with my own eyes. This big. Biggest I have ever seen. Hey! My brothers! I go give 1,000 dollar to the man who cuts the diamond out of this bastard! Liar! The man is a liar! I know your name, Solomon Vandy! You have a name! You have a family! I’m gonna catch them! I’m gonna find them!”

“I know. I know. It’s hard to be a man. Sit up. Come. But… you are a soldier of the revolution now. And I am your commander. Whatever you need– guns, CDs, food– come to me. I will take care of you. Today… you are promoted to the rank of captain. Dia Vandy. Boss man.”

“Foreigners are the cause of the problems. Po-pe Sanku say: ‘overthrow those who would exploit you.’ You will be strong.”

Colonel Kutzia, Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Blood Diamond, HBO Max, Warner Bros., Virtual Studios, Spring Creek Productions, The Bedford Falls Company, Initial Entertainment Group, LSG Productions, Liberty Pictures, Lonely Film Productions GmbH & Co. KG., Arnold Vosloo

Colonel Kutzia

“Hello, Danny. You look well. Walk with me. It seems the rebels have taken back the diamond fields, Danny. The government of Sierra Leone has contracted us to go in there and take the rebels down. We save the government, they show their gratitude. How long have I known you, Danny? And you survived. Lot of boys didn’t. Why is that? No. You were a good soldier. But I made you better, didn’t I? And over the years, didn’t I protect you, teach you about diamonds, cut you in on the deals? But not you. ‘Cause you’re done with me now, eh? On to bigger things. I need a man that knows his way around up there. Unless, of course, you want to cut me in. Something pink. Our deal went bad and you owe me money. I’ll take a stone as payment. Ah, Danny. Give me your hand. This red earth, it’s in our skin. The Shona say the color comes from all the blood that’s been spilled fighting over the land. This is home. You’ll never leave Africa.”

Dia Vandy

“English boys don’t go to school every day.”

“Teacher say this country was founded as a utopia. Do you know what that word means, Papa? Well, she says someday when the war is over, our world will be a paradise. Mm-hmm. And math and science. No, Papa! Papa! Papa! Papa! Papa! Papa! Papa! Papa!”

“Go! Go, Mama!”

“Mama! Mama!”

“No! No! No! Stop!”

“I am See Me No More.”

Jassie Vandy

“You listen to your father. And be careful on the road.”

“Go!”

“Dia! Dia! Come here! Get away from there!”

“Oh, no! No! Dia! Dia! Dia! Tati! Tati!”

“Solo… Solo… they took him. They took him. No! Solo! Solo! Solo!”

M’Ed

“Hey. How the body, Mr. Archer? So you want something nice, eh? Take me a few days but, uh, I’ll go find you something special. Really? Oh, I imagine they come do something… very soon.”

“TIA.”

“Yeah. Fucking RUF. Tried to hit the government building across the street. And go where? Just, uh, fire up the chopper and fly away like you people? This my country, man. We here long ‘fore you came. Long after you’re gone.”

“Sure.”

Cordell Brown

“How’s it, chana? Oh, she’s well, thanks. Oh, big kids, big problems, you know? I heard you got into a spot of trouble in the bush, yeah? Can’t complain. 11 wars on the continent, we’re keeping busy. He sends his regards. Smoking’ll kill you, bruh.”

“He’s been waiting. What took you? Don’t be a wanker, man– get in.”

Troop Leader

“Hello, hello, hello, hello. Papers, please. You’re crossing into Liberia.”

“You’re under arrest… for smuggling. We’ll go back to Freetown and ask Colonel Kutzia how he wishes to thank his business associates. Guys, take him away.”

Commander Zero

“Mr. Archer. You get something for me? First you bring back the plane.”

“Nah. That’s all you get! Maybe I will just kill you and take away what you bring back! Wait, wait. Wait, my friend. This is the thing you want? Here. So many, I don’t know what do with them all. Hey, Archer, next time you bring satellite TV, huh? I want to see Baywatch.”

Nabil

“You be careful, Danny.”

“I just have to tell you, Danny. The colonel’s not going to be happy about you losing the diamonds. What about the colonel? He’s gonna want that stone, Danny. London wants nothing more to do with you.”

“Solomon Vandy… it seems you made a friend in prison.”

Sierra Leone

“Oh, big white man, all alone. Ah, he so fine. I’m safe, huh? No HIV.”

“Archer, I know where to get nice baby diamond just for you… come on, Archer.”

“Come on! Come! Come! Go on.”

“Go to Kissy, there is another list. Talk to the whites. Talk to the whites.”

“Check the list. You have to file papers at the office for refugees. Then God help you, ’cause I can’t. Next. Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!”

“Back away from the fence. Back away from the fence.”

“I got a score! I got a score! Ha! You missed. Where did you come from? Where did you come from?”

“‘But sometimes, they forgot to close the door. She also wrote about her sister Josie, who was very ill…'”

“♪ High, we exalt thee ♪ Realm of the free ♪ Great is the love we have for three ♪ Firmly united ♪ Ever we stand ♪ Singing your praise, oh, native land ♪ We raise up our…”

RUF

“Long sleeve or short sleeve?”

“RUF! RUF!”

“Long sleeve or short sleeve?”

“Go what? Go! Go! Get to work! Get to work!”

“The government troops are coming!”

“RUF! RUF! RUF! RUF!”

“Your mothers and fathers are dead! Your brothers and sisters are dead! You are dead! We are your family now!”

“Fire!”

“Ooh-wee! Bring that pink chicken over here, huh?”

“Let me shoot that pink ass, man.”

“I am Baby Killer.”

“I am the Master of Disaster.”

“I am Born Trouble.”

Fishing Village

“No! No…”

Captain Rambo

“I am Captain Rambo. He’s inside. You talk to me. You are here to help us in our struggle against the government. Hey! I’m talking to you! Stop! Hey! I go kill you, eh?”

“Your parents are weak. They’re the farmers. They’re the fishermen. They’ve done nothing but suck the blood from this country. But you are the heroes who will save this nation. You are not children anymore. You are men.”

“No one has ever given you respect. But with this in your hand, they will fear you. If you do not get the respect you deserve, you will take it by shedding their blood. Repeat after me. Shed their blood. Shed their… louder! Shed their blood! Shed their blood! Make them hear you in Freetown! Shed their blood! Shed their blood!”

“Dia Vandy, stand up. Put your hand on the gun. Now squeeze the trigger. Shed their blood! C’mon Dia! Pull the trigger. Shed their blood! Shed their blood! Pull the trigger! Oh!”

“This medicine will make you strong. Make you invisible to enemies. The bullets will bounce off you. Super boy killer. Yes, huh? A man, too.”

Aussie Journalist

“I’m getting B-roll! Wait! Listen, I’m coming back, eh. I’m coming back just now. Yeah. Yeah, I know her. Yeah. Okay, but I’m going out for a bit. If I see her before, then I’ll tell her, yeah. Cheers.”

“Have you heard of a stinger? Your friend Maddy. She’s like a full-on heat-seeking missile, bruh. I mean, I saw her go into Afghanistan, like, about 200 clicks into Taliban land. When the military said no, she just took a bus, bruh, came back with 3,000 words and she still looked so good. Like, hot, you know?”

Journalists

“What’s that? What’s going on? Looks like a fire. Open the door. Let us out. Come on, come on, go, go, go, go, go. Let’s go! Let’s go! Move, move, move! As you can see behind me, just a few minutes ago, an ambulance has been hit… get in, goddamn it! Get in! There’s no fucking space! Let them on the bus! Let them on the bus! Take the boy. He can ride with me! Maddy! Let’s go! Maddy! Let’s go, come on! Nothing like a little bang-bang to get your heart started, eh, Maddy? Ah, come on, love. Don’t be like that. It’s the way it’s always played out, hasn’t it? Government bad, rebels worse. Now we’ve got the press involved. Know what I mean?”

“You’d think they’d want at least one decent road in this place. Going to have to start charging an entrance fee.”

Reporter

“You are listening to BBC World Service. In Sierra Leone, Revolutionary United Front forces have been sighted within ten kilometers of the capitol city of Freetown. The Minister of the Interior has expressed confidence that the government troops could repel the attack. All foreign nationals are being advised to leave the country. There are also unconfirmed reports that atrocities are being committed by both sides in the rapidly worsening situation. The United Nations has described the…”

Local Militia

“Who are you? We will kill all of you! Who is this woman? Reminds me of my wife. Good. Now they are your problem.”

Guinea

“Okay, I’m going to check for you. Wait here. This woman says she has spoken with Kudu. Do you know about this?”

“Move away from the fence.”

Benjamin Magi

“Don’t bother the people now. Let them come in. Thank you, Ubani. You can leave them here. I take responsibility. My name is Benjamin Magi. Hello. How are you? Welcome brother. What should I make of your companions? Ah. And I suppose you are, too.”

“The Belgians were the first to chop off limbs in Africa. King Leopold took one hand for every hundredth slave in the Congo to keep them in line. Many of these children were taken by the RUF. We have taken them back. Some of them have been made to do horrible things. We are trying to bring them back to life. Let me show you.”

“Uh, I have known most of the rebels since they were children. The local commander is still afraid I will come after him with my ruler. My heart always told me that people are inherently good. My experience suggests otherwise. But what about you, Mr. Archer? IN your long career as a journalist, would you say that people are mostly good? Exactly. It is what they do that makes them good or bad. A moment of love, even in a bad man, can give meaning to a life. None of us knows which path will lead us to God. Hey!”

Ambassador Walker

“Throughout the history of Africa, whenever a substance of value is found, the locals die, in great number an in misery. Now, this was true of ivory, rubber, gold and oil. It is now true of diamonds. According to a devastating report by Global Witness, these stones are being used to purchase arms and finance civil war. We must act to prohibit the direct or indirect import of all rough diamonds from conflict zones.”

German Minister

“We must remember that these stones comprise only a small percentage of the legitimate diamond industry, whose trade is crucial to the economies of many emerging nations.”

“And we are joined today by members of that diamond industry, who wholeheartedly endorse your proposal. I hope you’ll join me in applauding their presence here. Mr. Van De Kaap and Mr. Simmons.”

British FDID Minister

“May I remind you that the U.S. is responsible for two-thirds of all diamond purchases worldwide, and I don’t anticipate that demand diminishing.”

“It’s true, current estimates are that conflict stones account for only 15% of the market, but in a multibillion-dollar-a-year industry, that means hundreds of millions of dollars are available for weapons in these conflict zones.”


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