Edward Zwick is an American director known for heroic films like Glory and Legends of the Fall. He received several Oscar nominations, including four for The Last Samurai. Zwick's most famous drama was Blood Diamond, released in 2007, which depicts the violent conflict over diamonds in Sierra Leone. The opening scene uses visual techniques like maps, subtitles, and costumes to establish the setting and portray the characters' living conditions. Shots of guns, soldiers, and people running create tension and foreshadow the danger and violence to come.