Along with Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio is one of very few names that have managed to remain at the top of the Hollywood A-list for decades without once starring in what you’d call a straightforward action blockbuster.
Don’t get us wrong, DiCaprio has indulged in plenty of running and gunning over the years, but the closest he’s arguably come to headlining a standard big budget studio effort was Christopher Nolan’s Inception, which was hardly cut from the same cloth as the majority of the industry’s effects-driven fare.
Another title that verged close to action territory was 2006’s Blood Diamond, but Edward Zwick’s intense thriller also came with some weighty subtext and heavy political undertones. It managed to straddle the line between broad genre film and prestige drama, boasting several standout set pieces as the plot progresses, while also gathering enough acclaim to land five Academy Award nominations including Best Actor for DiCaprio and Best Supporting Actor for Djimon Hounsou.
Set in a 1990s Sierra Leone ravaged by war, DiCaprio’s South African mercenary ends up forging a reluctant alliance with Hounsou’s fisherman to track down the titular gem in an effort to turn both of their lives around, teaming up with Jennifer Connelly’s intrepid American journalist along the way to venture behind enemy lines in an effort to get the job done.
Blood Diamond earned a decent $171 million at the box office on a $100 million budget, but it’s rarely mentioned in the same breath as some of Leonardo DiCaprio‘s other most notable hits. However, it’s now streaming for free on YouTube Movies, and is well worth checking out for both fans of the leading man and the political thriller in general.
