Blood Diamond

I thought Blood Diamond was a worthwhile movie. I enjoyed seeing it, though I certainly wouldn't say it's must-see. It gives us a sort-of real-life lesson on what terrible wars the diamond industry has fueled (in this case, the civil war in Sierra Leone, which is now over). You can learn more about conflict diamonds on the website created jointly by the filmmakers, Amnesty International and Global Witness.

But the problem with the film lies in how the main character is the white guy, not the black guy, and rather than telling the story of a civil war and the people affected, it tells the story of leonardo and jeniffer.

Poking around the reviews this morning, there are many glowing ones but plenty of negative ones, too.

Read Stephen Witty's review in the Star-Ledger for a keen explanation of the problematicness of the film (that actually makes sense, unlike mine).