Movie Scene Science: Blood Diamond

Movie Scene Science is a weekly feature that puts memorable movie scenes under the microscope to see what makes them tick.

Last time on Movie Scene Science, I picked apart a sensitive scene from the action movie Casino Royale. This week I’m staying in the action genre, but turning up the noise to breakdown an intense scene from the very underrated Blood Diamond, directed by a master of war-themed flicks, Edward Zwick.

In the following clip, Leonardo DiCaprio’s solider of fortune Danny Archer is trying to convince ex-diamond mine worker Solomon Vandy to lead him to the whereabouts of a large uncut diamond. Archer’s timing couldn’t have been worse as gun-toting rebels are advancing on the city killing anyone and everyone who stands in their way. The duo escapes down congested and panicked streets with bullets and RPGs firing from all sides. Let’s take a look:

I’ve seen hundreds of action films in my life. Most of them fall somewhere between stupid and silly. From my vantage point, they fail on two simple levels: execution and authenticity. Sending a bunch of hysterical extras fleeing into a narrow street surrounded by explosions and gunfire might seem like an easy thing to do, but too many filmmakers get it wrong.

Edward Zwick is not one of those filmmakers. He understands how to create tension in a mock dangerous environment. As Archer and Solomon race to safety, mayhem rains down upon them. Bullets ricochet, glass shatters, fires ignite, people scream, bodies drop, blood spurts, smoke rises; it’s three long minutes of mass confusion and in your face violence. The soundtrack is kept low so as not to drown out the sounds of madness and war. The frame is constantly filled with foreground and background action. Zwick inserts us into the scene by utilizing handheld close-up and medium shots and editing them at a fevered pace. There are no sweeping camera movements, grandiose tricks or outlandish stunts. He wants us to feel the chaos in its natural form from start to stop. Only when Archer and Solomon are off the streets and behind closed doors can we take a breath.

The scene works because it successfully depicts the hellish nature of an urban firefight. Unless you’ve been in an actual war it’s impossible to tell how accurate a fictional construct is, but based on soldier stories I’ve read and heard, this scene scores big on the realism scale. One could quibble that neither Archer or Solomon gets shot or burned or too badly damaged, but it’s still a movie, folks. Not everything is going to ring true.

That being said, Zwick nails the execution, which is most important when shooting a production heavy on logistics. His camera placement is precise and he never loses track of his principals. Too often in frenetic scenes such as this one, the main characters get lost in the editing, which in turn leads to a lot of audience head-scratching and whispers of, “What the hell just happened?”

Zwick understands his craft and therefore is well-versed in the science of effective scene-building. Wannabe action directors take note. If you want to make credible movies that are watchable, do yourselves a favor and check out the films of Edward Zwick. He does action the right way.