Diamond of darkness: liberalism and colonialism in Edward Zuwick's Blood diamond

On the surface level, Edward Zwick's Blood Diamond (2006) is an adventure genre film, mixed with a pseudo-liberal 'message' film. But on a deeper level, it functions in much the same manner as earlier, colonialist texts such as Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness in its depiction of Africa. Set in Sierra Leone during the 1999 civil war, the film raises the issues of diamond smuggling and child soldiers through the stories of Soloman Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), whose village is attacked by rebel soldiers at the outset, and Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a mercenary and diamond smuggler.