The Rewatchables: ‘Blood Diamond’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan

Published 2023-06-14; 1:21:20 by the feed.

Awards and segments (58)

Most rewatchable scene

  1. pick The rebels take over the village and Solomon tells his family to run.
    “I just wanted to that when the terrorists take over the village and Solomon. Yeah, and the rebels is telling his family to run.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:32:13
  2. pick Solomon finds the diamond and hides it in his feet from the guards.
    “I love nothing more than when a prisoner or a captive or somebody who's working in the field, find something and then has to figure out how to hide it from the guys with machine guns.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:33:58
  3. pick Danny meets Maddie Bowen at the bar.
    “Um, next scene, Danny meets Maddie Bowen.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:34:30
  4. floated The Solomon and Danny chase scene.
    “There's the Sam and Danny Chase scene, which is rewatchable.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:36:23
  5. floated Danny lays out the diamond market as a Ponzi game.
    “I like that scene when Leo's whole theory that the diamond market is a Ponzi game, which we mentioned earlier.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:36:26
  6. floated Maddie and Danny's moment in the bush: God left this place a long time ago.
    “Maddie finally kind of makes a semi move on Danny, she goes, when they have the moment, when he says, Will God ever forgive us for what we've done to each other?”
    Chris Ryan · 0:37:23
  7. floated Maddie and Danny saying goodbye, and Danny and Solomon's fight that turns into a bonding montage.
    “Maddie and Danny saying goodbye is really good.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:39:06
  8. pick The closing run: Danny giving the diamond back, saying goodbye, and calling Maddie, then Solomon getting his family back.
    “And then my choice is Danny giving the diamond back, saying goodbye to those guys and calling Maddie.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:40:54
  9. pick Danny dying on the mountain, giving up the diamond and calling Maddie; Bill calls it the best scene of Leo's career.
    “I have the Danny scene, and I have this is gonna be my Stephen A. Smith hot take.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:41:33
  10. pick Danny and Solomon's escape from Freetown through the back of the hotel, with the explosion in the background of the shot.
    “Okay, I have actually, my rewatchable scene is actually also my great shot, Gordo, and that is when Leo and so when when Danny and Solomon escape from Freetown, when Solomon's working as the valet outside of the hotel”
    Chris Ryan · 0:43:48

Butch's Girlfriend Award · The weak link of the film.

  1. winner Leo's Rhodesian accent: It comes and goes, mostly slipping when he yells; Chris gives it a B plus.
    “I'm going to do this category now, the Butch's girlfriend award for weak link of the film is the Leo accent because it became a talking point during it because he's so good in the movie.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:21:07

Roger Ebert's review · The reading of Roger Ebert's review.

  1. pick Blood Diamond: No review to read; they could not find Ebert's take and guess he may have been sick.
    “Um, Roger Ebert did not review this movie.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:29:05

What's Aged Best · What about the film has aged best.

  1. winner Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer: Watching a child actor hit every checkpoint and reach the top of the mountain in 2006.
    “Leo in 2006 has aged the best for me, where we don't go on a journey this often with the child actor.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:48:37
  2. pick The road-movie structure after the escape from Freetown: Also cites the patois and language of the movie.
    “And I love the fact that essentially once they get hooked up back with Maddie after the escape from Freetown all the way through the end of the movie is just a road movie.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:50:40
  3. pick Lab-grown diamonds: Growing in popularity; he thought of it while shopping for a ring.
    “Lab grown diamonds.”
    Craig Horlbeck · 1:16:01

What's Aged Worst · What about the film has aged worst.

  1. pick Stephen Collins: Because of what has come out about him since the movie.
    “Stephen Collins is in this movie, who's tough Wikipedia, if you haven't seen what happened with him since this movie.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:53:25
  2. nominee The diamond industry was not actually changed
    “Other than the fact that I guess the ending of this story that the diamond industry was changed.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:54:32
  3. winner The white gaze: DiCaprio and Connelly at the center of an African civil war story
    “No, I think it would age the worst probably is the white gaze, you know, it's like it's telling these stories where you're like, well, we got to have Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connolly at the center of this story about African civil war and conflict dive-ins and mutilation and child soldiers.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:54:40

Picking Nits · Nitpicks of the film.

  1. pick Cell phone reception on the mountain
    “The cell phone reception on the mountain fucking, that's a wet stage the worst and a nitpick.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:54:05
  2. pick Leo's perfect facial hair after days on the road
    “As you know, this is a big nitpick for me in action movies where days pass when people are on the road.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:05:10
  3. pick Danny arrested by Liberian border guards but ending up in a Sierra Leone prison
    “There's a, there's a geographical nitpick where Danny gets arrested by Liberian border guards while crossing the border from Sierra Leone to Liberia.”
    Chris Ryan · 1:05:40
  4. pick Solomon flipping out at the refugee camp fence
    “He just completely flips out and it just seems like he's going to get shot.”
    Chris Ryan · 1:06:27
  5. pick Benjamin the nice guy driver getting shot
    “Why does Benjamin the nice guy get shot?”
    Chris Ryan · 1:07:04
  6. pick Everyone drinking bottled Guinness in a hot Sierra Leone beach bar
    “I'm not drinking bottled Guinness, which is, I wanted to know whether that was like a product placement thing, but like, they're just like crushing Guinnesses and it's like probably 100 degrees.”
    Chris Ryan · 1:07:28

Big Kahuna Burger Award · Best use of food and drink.

  1. winner Palm wine: Used as a disinfectant, a drink and an aphrodisiac.
    “Um, Big Kahuna Burger Award for best use of food and drink was it has to be the palm wine, which is used in like 3 different, 3 different ways.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:51:46

Vincent Chase Award · Are we sure this character was actually good at their job?

  1. pick Maddie Bowen as Maddie Bowen: Doubts a freelance war reporter for a small magazine could afford it all; Chris wonders if she is a rich kid from Darien.
    “The, uh, the Vincent Chase award for the, are we sure this character was actually good at, good at their job?”
    Bill Simmons · 0:52:05

Best Staged · What was staged best in the film.

  1. pick The opening capital-letter title cards: Sierra Leone, 1999
    “As you know, I love openings with capital letter graphics where it's like Sierra Leone, 1999.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:44:45
  2. pick Pulling a diamond out of a tooth cap: Compared to Cast Away's tooth pulling, which they rank higher.
    “The, the hiding and pulling a diamond out of your tooth cap.”
    unknown · 0:47:57

Dion Waiters Award · A small role with a big impact.

  1. winner David Harewood as Captain Poison: The eye patch villain who radicalizes Solomon's son.
    “He eventually becomes eye patch guy. He's, I mean, I think he's my Dion Waiters, but he's David Harewood, who's plays the CIA director in Homeland.”
    unknown · 0:45:37
  2. nominee Michael Sheen as Simmons: Oily and scummy; wishes for more of him.
    “Yeah, I love Sheen's like so oily and scummy.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:00:18

Best That Guy · The best that guy.

  1. pick Arnold Vosloo as Colonel Coetzee: The guy from The Mummy and Hard Target.
    “I guess we already handed that one out, but I wanted to point out Colonel Kutzi.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:59:57

Overacting Award · Who dials it up the most.

  1. winner Djimon Hounsou as Solomon Vandy: Dials it up a couple of times, with reason.
    “Our guy, Hansu, dows it up a couple times.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:59:41
  2. winner David Harewood as Captain Poison
    “Yeah, it's it's him and Captain Poison, like the the David Harwood character, both jack it up a bunch.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:59:45

Casting What-ifs · Almost-castings and recasts.

  1. pick Russell Crowe as Danny Archer: The only what-if they found; Crowe was the other possibility.
    “So unfortunately, the only casting what F I found was that Russell Crowe was the other possibility for Danny Archer.”
    unknown · 0:58:48
  2. pick Daniel Kaluuya as Danny Archer: Recast in 2023.
    “We basically already did this, but in 23, I think Daniel Kalua is Danny Archer.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:00:34
  3. pick Sydney Sweeney as Maddie Bowen
    “Maybe she's Maddie.”
    unknown · 1:00:56

What If It Were Made Today · How the film would be made now.

  1. pick Told through Solomon's perspective, with Daniel Kaluuya as Danny
    “It's probably Daniel Kalua in the Danny part, right?”
    Bill Simmons · 0:55:02

Apex Mountain · Where a performance sits on the career mountain.

  1. pick Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer: Titanic is still the peak; this is a second apex, The Revenant a third.
    “It's Titanic, but this is kind of a 2nd apex mountain, friend.”
    Chris Ryan · 1:03:16
  2. pick Jennifer Connelly as Maddie Bowen: Top Gun: Maverick over this film.
    “I mean, it's really hard for me to pick anything but her standing in front of a fucking Porsche and Top Gun Maverick.”
    unknown · 1:03:38
  3. pick Djimon Hounsou as Solomon Vandy: Chooses this film over Amistad and Gladiator because he has the arc.
    “I would say it's this just because like this is like a real part.”
    unknown · 1:04:20

Best Diamond Movie · Other diamond movies.

  1. winner Marathon Man: Beats Diamonds Are Forever and The Hot Rock.
    “No, it's marathon, man.”
    unknown · 1:03:43

Best Racehorse Name · Best racehorse name from the movie.

  1. pick Danny Archer: Also floated: Diamond Mine, Dia.
    “Danny Archer is a good horse name too, I think.”
    unknown · 1:04:55

Sequel, Prequel, Prestige TV · The sequel, prequel or prestige TV show they would make.

  1. pick A prestige TV series covering the diamond business and the child soldiers, with a look inside Maddie's magazine: Chris had it written down too; says Zwick knows how to make television.
    “I think that this movie has prestige TV bones.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:08:51

Is this movie better with… · Is the movie better with a given character actor in it.

  1. pick Wayne Jenkins: Name as transcribed, possibly mangled. Cameo at the cafe when Maddie takes Danny's call, or as the Australian pilot.
    “I think it would be funny if at the end of the movie when she gets the phone call from Danny, when Maddie, like, is sitting at a cafe somewhere in Europe, and then when she like comes back to the table of Wayne Jenkins was just like, goddamn, Maddie,”
    Chris Ryan · 1:09:47

Oscar Pick · Who gets the Oscar for the year.

  1. winner Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer: Still thinks he got robbed for The Departed; they argue Oscars should honor a special year across films.
    “I got Leo, but I still, I'm still like a, kind of, I, I,”
    Chris Ryan · 1:10:54

Unanswered Questions · Open questions about the film.

  1. pick Did Maddie and Danny hook up after eight days in the bush?: Both lean no.
    “Do we think they hooked up?”
    Bill Simmons · 0:38:38
  2. pick The best Leo death scene: Blood Diamond, The Departed or Titanic: They lean Blood Diamond over Titanic's iconic one.
    “What's the best Leo death scene?”
    unknown · 1:13:25

Zihuatanejo Award (what happened the next day) · What happened to the characters afterward.

  1. pick Maddie Bowen's career as Maddie Bowen: Jokes she became an author or runs a podcast about Vital Affairs.
    “We don't know what happens with Maddie's career.”
    unknown · 1:14:44

Memorabilia · A piece of memorabilia they would want from the movie.

  1. pick The diamond
    “Pretty clearly the diamond.”
    unknown · 1:15:01
  2. pick Leo's hat and short-sleeved shirts
    “I think Leo's hat would be good in this.”
    unknown · 1:15:10

Coach Finstock Award · Best life lesson.

  1. pick Think twice before buying an expensive diamond
    “other than maybe think twice as you're buying an expensive diamond.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:15:27
  2. winner Even if you can help one person, it's enough: Tied to Maddie's line about helping one person.
    “I think even if you can help one person, it's enough.”
    Chris Ryan · 1:15:30

Who Won the Movie · Who won the movie.

  1. winner Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer
    “And Leo wins the movie.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:15:48

Best Quote · Best quote.

  1. pick "You Americans love to talk about your feelings, huh?"
    “I like when he says you Americans love to talk about your feelings, I thought was really strong.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:56:41

Mallory Rubin Award (did it need a better sex scene) · Did the movie need a better sex scene.

  1. pick Maddie and Danny's off-screen hookup after day eight: Verdict: no.
    “Um, I don't know, maybe they could have climbed into a tent or something.”
    unknown · 0:56:13

Was there a better title · Was there a better title for the movie.

  1. pick Blood Diamond: No: the title introduced the idea to the world.
    “Uh, no, Blood Diamond actually introduced to the most of the massive, like the world, the idea of Blood Diamond, so I think they nailed it.”
    unknown · 0:56:29

Great Shot, Gordo · Best shot in the movie.

  1. pick The wide shot of Danny's mountain phone call: Also awards it the scene-stealing location for the watch hat.
    “This also gets the, uh, the great shot, Gordo, the wide shot”
    Bill Simmons · 0:43:33
  2. pick The explosion behind Danny and Solomon in the Freetown escape
    “And then there's an explosion in the background of the shot, and the whole fucking escape from Freetown sequence is unbelievable.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:44:14

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