10 Movie Scenes With Hidden Tricks You Totally Missed

8. Blood Diamond - The Tear

The Matrix
Warner Bros

In the grand tapestry of the works of either Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly, it’s fair to say that Blood Diamond isn’t their best work. It’s a fun little action thriller about tracking down an expensive gem but it’s not exactly the jewel in the crown of either actor’s resumés. Still, there is one reason to remember it.

Spoiler alert for a 15 year old film but a scene during the movie’s climax sees Leonardo DiCaprio’s Archer calling Jennifer Conolly’s Maddy. Mortally wounded, he says his final farewells in a beautiful scene that two high-class actors really make work.

Or at least, you’d think so but the post-production team disagreed and apparently Jennifer Connelly's sadness needed that extra touch. Rather than call a reshoot, why not call on the power of CGI? After all, this is 2006 we’re talking about. Crazier things have been done.

Thus, the single tear that rolls down Maddy’s cheek is, in fact, not a tear at all but digital trickery.

Whether or not it was needed for the scene we’ll leave up to you, dear viewer. However, it's indisputably right up there with some of the most subtle uses of CGI in a film and thus very easy to miss.

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The Red Mage of WhatCulture. Very long hair. She/they.